- Ring expands "Fire Watch" nationwide to alert users about nearby wildfires.
- The feature partners with Watch Duty for real-time alerts and video analysis.
- Utah's 2025 fire season was severe; low snowpack may worsen 2026 conditions.
SALT LAKE CITY — 2025 was Utah's worst fire season in five years, including the damage or destruction of dozens of homes across the state.
With potentially record-low snowpack this winter, state and federal firefighters are concerned the season could be equally busy. However, a new technology could help alert firefighters to new starts and homeowners about existing fires in their area.
The home security company Ring announced on Tuesday that it is expanding "Fire Watch," its newest feature, nationwide. The announcement comes more than two months after the company first introduced the feature, which came on the first anniversary of the wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area.
Jamie Siminoff, Ring's founder and chief inventor, explained in January that the motivation was to partner with the wildfire information nonprofit Watch Duty on the new system, because he was among the residents affected by the Palisades Fire, which ultimately destroyed the garage from which the company originated.
"The garage may be gone, but the spirit of innovation and neighbor-to-neighbor support that started there is stronger than ever," he said, in a statement at the time.
Fire Watch works by first notifying Ring customers whenever Watch Duty reports a nearby wildfire. Cameras from those subscribed to Ring Protect within the alert zone will then begin analyzing video for "visual signs" of smoke or flames that would trigger an immediate alert for customers to take action.
The cost of Ring Protect ranges from $4.99 to $19.99 per month or $49.99 to $199.99 per year, plus tax, depending on the number of cameras or other features.
Customers may also share snapshots from their Ring cameras with Watch Duty during an active fire, which may help with fire response, but that feature is optional.
The goal, according to Ring, is to deliver earlier warning signals that can help residents evacuate in real time while assisting first responders handling fires and evacuations.
"This partnership with Ring allows us to meet people where they already are, using tools they trust and extend life-saving wildfire intelligence to more communities than ever before," said John Mills, co-founder and CEO of Watch Duty, in a statement when the feature was first announced. "The lesson (from the Los Angeles fires) is clear: communities need better tools before disaster strikes."
Over 1,150 fires were reported across Utah last year, burning nearly 165,000 acres. State firefighters noted that it was "an insane year for structure loss" because of the number of homes and other housing structures that were lost in wildfires.
Firefighters also warned that this year's low snowpack may lead to an earlier fire season. So far, there have been 43 fires that have burned 183 acres statewide, most of which came from last week's Milrace Fire that burned 86 acres in Springville.
Ring's new feature is not the only technology seeking to improve Utah's wildfire situation.
Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands launched a pilot program earlier this year that uses four Pano AI cameras to help detect smoke in southern Utah, which can alert firefighters to potential new starts in one of the state's more prone regions.
The California-based company has already partnered with Rocky Mountain Power to install similar cameras elsewhere in the state, including two in the Ogden Valley.
"The sooner we catch a wildfire, the sooner we get it put out," said Karl Hunt, spokesman for Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, in January.
