Rep. Sam Liccardo launches new effort to fight wildfires

As temperatures rise this week, so do the concerns about wildfire risk.

To help cut these risks, Congressman Sam Liccardo announced the Wildfire Resilience Partnership, a new initiative aimed at fighting flames.

The South Bay congressman also introduced a critical part of the program: robots.

Burnbot, a company based in San Francisco, created a robot that can gobble up poison oak, brush and even small trees. The robot spits the back into the soil, helping reduce erosion and eliminate much of the fuel fires feed on.

One of the biggest keys to keeping wildfires from destroying homes is clearing out brush to create defensible space.

Anukool Lakhina, the CEO of Burnbot, said the robot works fast.

"What a 40 person hand crew can do in five weeks, two of these machines can do in five days for half the price of a traditional hand crew," Lakhina said.

Burnbot also developed a special robot to conduct control burns in any type of weather with much less smoke.

These robots are part of the part of the Wildfire Resilience Partnership. Liccardo said the goal is simple, reduce risk by asking communities and the professionals to work together to create defensible space -- with hopefully a little federal help too.

"The communities that show they are ready will get funding first," Liccardo said. "As we make sure we get federal help, we will also bring partners together."

The effort doesn't have to be high tech, like a smoke sensor that uses AI or something as simple as having your home assessed for fire risk.

Jak Van Nada, a Los Gatos resident, received an assessment this Wednesday. He has lived next to open space for more than 50 years, but said he's still getting new tips to reduce fire risk.

"Taking out bamboo, replacing our fence with a steel one," Van Nada said. "You don't want any wood touching your structure."

Firefighters said even small changes can make a big difference, like creating a zone five feet around your home. This makes your home resistant against wildfire embers that are typically responsible for fire growth.