UF researcher Imre Bartos, in collaboration with the Fire Neural Network, has developed a method to detect wildfires quickly using radio waves from lightning strikes. Bartos found the technique was effective in detecting wildfires in real time, allowing faster response and potentially saving lives and property.

The FINDER (Fireball Early Warning Network with Electro-optic Recognition) system uses a network of algorithms and high-speed cameras to capture and analyze lightning strikes in real-time. The system is being tested in Florida and may aid in quickly detecting wildfires and alerting first responders.