Squamish startup FireSwarm Solutions has been named a semifinalist in the prestigious XPRIZE Wildfire competition, joining 14 other global teams advancing in the USD $11 million initiative to develop autonomous technologies that can detect and suppress wildfires in minutes.
Founded in 2023 during Canada’s worst wildfire season on record, FireSwarm is developing heavy-lift drone swarms for nighttime wildfire response, aiming to protect high-risk communities and critical infrastructure.
The company has already completed pilot projects with municipal fire departments, and its flagship drone, the ThunderWasp, is approved for operation in Canada via a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC). Full system integration with FireSwarm’s software is scheduled for early July.
“Wildfires are growing more frequent, more destructive, and more costly, and the status quo is no longer sustainable in a changing climate,” said Andrea Santy, XPRIZE Wildfire Program Director. “The teams advancing to the next stages of XPRIZE Wildfire are showcasing the ingenuity we need not just to prepare for the future, but to help shape it.”
FireSwarm is a member of the BC Tech Association.
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XPRIZE Wildfire is a four-year global competition aimed at ending destructive wildfires with cutting-edge technology. It is split into two tracks:
Autonomous Wildfire Response Track (FireSwarm’s category): Teams must build fully autonomous systems that can detect and suppress a high-risk wildfire within 10 minutes of ignition, across 1,000 km², without human intervention.
Space-Based Detection & Intelligence Track: Focused on identifying wildfires from orbit using satellite surveillance.
Together, these tracks aim to offer a comprehensive solution—space-based detection and rapid, ground-level suppression.
Destructive wildfires are intensifying globally, displacing communities, straining emergency services, and contributing significantly to carbon emissions. Recent policy responses—such as commitments from the G7 and U.S. Executive Order 14308—highlight the need for urgent innovation. Yet many firefighting efforts remain siloed, slow, and limited by terrain, weather, or time of day.
Autonomous systems like FireSwarm’s offer a critical edge: precision-targeted response at speed, day or night, across rugged landscapes. By operating in hard-to-reach areas and detecting fires early, these systems can stop disasters before they begin.
The 15 semifinalist teams will begin field testing this summer, with $5 million in prize money at stake in the Autonomous Response Track. The winners will represent a new frontier in climate resilience—where AI, robotics, and aerospace engineering converge to help save lives, ecosystems, and infrastructure.
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