US firm's firefighting drones aim to cut response time to under ten mins

Seattle-based startup Seneca has developed an autonomous firefighting drone system designed to drastically reduce wildfire response times to under ten minutes. These modular drones, capable of carrying over 100 pounds of fire-suppressing agents each, use AI and advanced computer vision to navigate and extinguish fires rapidly and safely. Operating solo or in swarms of four to six units, the drones can deliver between 500 and 1,000 pounds of suppression power per mission without requiring helipads, refueling, or extensive ground infrastructure. The system is portable, remotely deployable with only an approximate fire location, and built to integrate seamlessly with existing firefighting operations. With wildfire intensity in the U.S. having more than doubled over the past two decades—causing an estimated $1 trillion in annual economic losses and threatening 115 million Americans—Seneca’s technology aims to address a critical gap in rapid fire suppression. The drones can access hazardous or remote areas inaccessible to human crews, enabling early-stage fire containment during