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The ADELIE system: proactive monitoring to detect and locate forest fires

Report from Charente-Maritime on the fires of early August 2025.

ADELIE system on a pylon

This report was filmed in August 2025 in the Charente-Maritime department. It illustrates how the ADELIE
system is used to alert, detect and locate fire outbreaks in the Charente-Maritime department. It shows how the Montlieu-la-Garde control center uses the cameras of the ADELIE cameras to detect fires early in the summer.

Every summer, forests face a heightened risk of fire. The combination of high temperatures and dry vegetation accelerates the spread of flames, making early detection of fire outbreaks crucial to the safety of forest areas and populations.

On August 7, an 8-hectare fire broke out in Bussac-Forêt. Although quickly brought under control, fumaroles persisted in the charred landscape, reminding us of the importance of constant vigilance. In these conditions, every minute counts to limit the extent of the damage.

Early detection, the key to safety

Faced with sometimes virulent fires, and the threat of secondary outbreaks caused by sudden bursts of flame, firefighting teams have to act fast. In the south of Charente-Maritime, the Montlieu-la-Garde fire station boosts its workforce every summer with seasonal workers, bringing the total number of personnel to around one hundred to cover the whole department.

But surveillance is not limited to field operations. The ADELIE (Alert, Detection and Localization of Fires) system plays a strategic role in detecting fires as soon as they start.

ADELIE system triangulation image.

The ADELIE system in action

Thanks to 12 ADELIE cameras, Charente-Maritime firefighters can detect the slightest outbreak of fire in real time.

The ADELIE system is based on a network of surveillance cameras installed at 12 sites in the département, including watchtowers and water towers. The images are centralized at the Montlieu-la-Garde control center, where operators constantly monitor the state of the forests.

Thanks to functions such as zooming in, zooming out and horizontal displacement, teams can carry out real-time fire detection, confirm fire starts and pinpoint the exact location of outbreaks. This proactive monitoring enables rapid, targeted intervention, limiting the spread of fires and protecting vulnerable areas.

Maïtena Garnier-Barbe, a seasonal worker at the monitoring center, explains:

"Right now, we're in severe weather with the temperatures we're having right now so we're even more vigilant especially since we have quite a few fires in our area."

Enhanced coordination for effective action

The combination of ADELIE technology and human presence in the field provides complete coverage of the territory. Firefighters can thus combine early detection, precise localization and rapid intervention to limit the impact of fires.

Recent examples in Bussac-Forêt and Clérac, where dozens of hectares were affected by flames, demonstrate the importance of this system. The ADELIE system helps prevent disasters, protect forests and save lives.

Watering the vegetation at Bussac-Forêt, in the aftermath of the fire on August 8.

PARATRONIC would like to thank the Charente Maritime SDIS17 for explaining our ADELIE system.

And thanks to the France 3 Nouvelle Aquitaine team for this report.

The ADELIE PARATRONIC system detects and locates forest fires, but is only part of the forest fire prevention and control actions carried out by the SDIS and the entities of the Ministry of the Interior's General Directorate for Civil Security and Crisis Management.

Live cameras help firefighters keep an eye on the slightest forest fire outbreak

@France3NouvelleAquitaine
©Morgane Jacob - for photos

Report by Morgane Jacob and Arnaud Connen de Kerillis

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