With forest fires on the increase and also becoming more intense, the rollout of innovative solutions based on electrical infrastructure could provide an effective response. Axians in Portugal, and Omexom and Resallience in France, are in the forefront.
In the first half of 2025, almost 360,000 hectares of forests went up in smoke across the European Union, with disastrous consequences for human lives, infrastructure (buildings, electrical lines, road and rail links) and the environment (disruption of local ecosystems; air, soil and water pollution; accelerated manifestation of the effects of climate change).
According to a 2024 study published in the journal Earth System Science Data, forest fires account for 15% of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activity. The picture looks even darker when we consider that the destruction of forests itself impairs the planet’s capacity to absorb CO₂.
Alongside the environmental damage, there is also a heavy economic cost. Every year, billions of euros are swallowed up in the fight against forest fires and the regeneration of affected areas.
The role of electrical lines – in prevention
In the face of a growing menace, prevention is becoming a priority and courses of action proliferating. One innovative solution trialled recently uses medium, high and extra-high-voltage electrical lines as supports for detection devices.
There are several feasible techniques in this area. In Portugal, which has been severely affected by fires, Axians, the VINCI Energies ICT brand, rolled out a solution capable of detecting high-impedance faults that may occur when there is contact between vegetation or other conductive materials and power lines. This solution won an award at the VINCI Environment Awards 2024.
“Through advanced analyticsit is possible to identify extremely low currents associated with electrical short-circuits in medium-voltage networks, and eliminate potential ignition points before a fire breaks out”, explains Luís Pinto Pereira, Business Unit General Manager at Axians Portugal.
For maintenance, prevention and response teams, the ultra-precise nature of the alerts and the rapid analysis are extremely valuable progress levers in the fight against forest fires.
Artificial intelligence looks set to quickly become another invaluable ally in this battle. Algorithms are present by default in the FACES (Fault Analysis Classifying Expert System) solution developed by VINCI Energies. Coupled with a geographical information system, this tool collects information in real time and catalogues incident data collected by disturbance recorders or digital protection relays located in electrical substations.
AI-enhanced cameras on towers
FACES can also be paired with diagnostic imaging. In France, preliminary experiments carried out between 2022 and 2025 in Corsica and the Landes, Charente‑Maritime and Bouches‑du‑Rhône departments confirmed the effectiveness of prevention systems using Paratronic cameras installed on towers carrying high and extra-high-voltage lines and connected to AI applications.
As Julien Bertolini, BUGM at Omexom Nîmes Ingénierie, explains, “With this type of installation at strategic points, we can, without human intervention, detect any fire within a radius of around 20 kilometres.”
Ultra-precise alerts and rapid analysis are valuable progress levers
The cameras take pictures at different times and analyse them using on-board algorithms before sending photos and data that indicate potential fires to the nearest local fire-fighting service. From there, an operator can remotely operate alarm-verification cameras with high-definition zoom capability to validate alerts and confirm the existence and seriousness of an incipient fire before sending a response unit to its location.
30-variable diagnostic
The problem is that the price of this equipment has a deterrent effect. “One camera and the interfacing with third-party platforms will set you back several tens of thousands of euros ,” says Julien Bertolini.
Rolling out these solutions therefore involves some well-informed trade-offs, especially in terms of installation locations. This is where a company like Resallience, the VINCI Energies business unit specialised in predictive analysis and climate risk modelling, comes into the picture.
Its teams have developed a diagnostic methodology based on around thirty variables, including: site elevation, tower locations, field of view, forest density, unobstructed lines of sight, the presence of settlements and human activities, accessibility to the forest, vegetation type, species and substrate types, satellite-data history of previous fires, and meteorological data.
With traditional methods such as watchtowers and manual observation becoming increasingly inadequate for preventing fires, the use of advanced technologies (AI, satellite imaging, IoT sensors) becomes imperative. Solutions do exist – all that remains is to find the finance.
02/16/2026
