This fire season cameras on mountaintops in the basin provided either fire discovery, early intelligence and/or situational awareness for more than 30 wildfires in Lake Tahoe.

Another 50 fires were detected in the region.

AlertTahoe is a mountaintop fire camera system started by UNR and now supported by the Tahoe Prosperity Center.

The system is designed, built and maintained by the UNR’s Seismological Laboratory. It features 15 cameras that circle Lake Tahoe and stretches north of Truckee, south to Carson City, west toward Placerville, and out into the Northern Nevada Great Basin mountain ranges, where another eight cameras are operated in conjunction with the Bureau of Land Management.

Another seven HD cameras will go live in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin before next fire season thanks to fundraising spearheaded by the Tahoe Prosperity Center. Zephyr Cove, Alpine Meadows, Martis Peak, Mt. Rose and Bald Mountain are some of the future locations.

“There was about a fourfold increase over the number of fires monitored from last year, due mostly to more cameras as well as increased fire activity near the South Shore area of Lake Tahoe,” Graham Kent, director of the seismological lab, said in a press release.

The cameras are used by wildland firefighting agencies for quicker, more efficient responses. Traditionally, fire managers would send planes to spot and monitor fires, which takes time and resources.