Testing the new generation of AI-enabled fire-extinguishing drones

Fire crews in Aspen, Colorado are training to pilot new drones like this one from manufacturer Seneca. They can carry and drop fire-suppressing foam.

On a rare overcast day in late summer, red-and-white fire trucks pepper a grassy strip of land in the mountains of western Colorado.

A persistent buzzing rises and falls as several uniformed staff from the Aspen Fire Protection District huddle around an iPad, watching one of their volunteer firefighters control a massive drone.

This first-of-its-kind machine looks like a giant bug. Black and white with propellers attached to four large arms, it's about 10 by 12 feet wide — roughly the size of a small U-Haul trailer.

While firefighters have used drones to monitor wildfires for decades, this new product could use AI to help extinguish fires.

One of Seneca's firefighting drones hovers over private land outside of Aspen, Colo. on Aug. 24, 2026. Once its staff complete the training process, the Aspen Fire Protection District will be the first fire department in the country to operate the drones independently.

Developed by the California-based company Seneca, the drones are designed to work in a swarm. Similar to a small fire engine, five of them can carry 500 to 1,000 gallons of finished fire foam, and firefighters in Aspen reported they were easy to operate.

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