In early December, an artificial intelligence camera spotted a wildfire in a remote canyon.

It was the first time the OC Fire Authority received an alert from AI about a vegetation fire without receiving a 911 call.

OCFA announced the discovery in an X post on Jan. 3.

The AI of UC San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia camera network alerted the OCFA of an “anomaly” seen on video footage around 2 a.m. on Dec. 4.

The network has several cameras located in wildfire-prone spots around SoCal. The anomaly was a vegetation fire in Black Star Canyon, east of Irvine Lake.

“Unlike traditional emergency calls made through 911, this fire was solely detected by strategically mounted cameras monitoring high-risk areas across the county,” the OCFA post said.

After receiving the AI alert, fire crews contained the fire to less than a quarter of an acre, and no injuries, evacuations, or homes were burned.

Without it, the blaze could have spread significantly before anyone noticed it, the agency added.