By Jennifer Gabrys, Paula Tiara Torres, and Pablo González Rivas

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In the context of increasing wildfires worldwide, this article examines emerging fire technologies and how they are shaping approaches to changing fire ecologies. Drawing on interviews, fieldwork and field schools with stakeholders and communities in the temperate rainforest region of La Araucanía, Chile, we ask how digital technologies are influencing approaches to fire prevention, response and recovery; and whether and how communities contribute to or benefit from these digital practices.

In dialogue with diverse community networks, we learn that many existing fire practices do not use digital devices. Instead, they focus on manual land practices and longstanding engaging with environments. Meanwhile, different sectors within government, industry and universities are often at the forefront of digital technology developments, but these devices and infrastructure can be less accessible to communities. Based on these findings, we propose measures to navigate potential rifts and enhance connections across community fire networks and emerging digital technologies, ensuring more just sociotechnical practices and ways of living with planetary change. Such measures could further enhance approaches to fire that encompass prevention, response, and recovery, treating landscape diversification and community engagement as critical practices within fire ecologies.