Early warning: human detectors, drones and the race to control Australia’s extreme blazes

For a century, humans high up in fire towers have sounded the alarm. But breakthroughs in technology may offer something more

Perched in his fire tower high above the pine trees, Nick Dutton leans back and nods to the cascading hills and mountains behind him.

“I love being out here, just away from stuff,” he says. “I mean, you can’t really complain.”

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Because at the end of the day, the human eye is going to be much better.

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