Wildfires take lives, destroy property and are costing the state of California increasingly more money. What is Silicon Valley doing to help? That’s what Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe explore in this episode of Brainstorm.

They speak with Joaquin Ramirez of Technosylva, the company using machine learning and big data to create “firecasts” for Cal Fire - the state’s largest fire department. Also in the episode: Stanford professor and researcher Eric Appel who developed a fire retardant that can be sprayed on known “hot spots” once a season. His technology stops fires before they start and, after a few months, simply biodegrades. Finally, long-time tech entrepreneur Gina Bianchini of Mighty Networks shares her opinion that while preventing and fighting fire is important, Silicon Valley should also be looking for ways to make rebuilding from fires easier.

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