How to Fight Fire with Fire

Wildfires are putting more towns and critical infrastructure at risk every year. In 2024, the largest wildfire in Texas history spread rapidly toward the town of Borger until it reached the edge of town and just… stopped. The town was spared because months earlier the Borger Fire Department had deliberately set fire to the land surrounding the town. This is called prescribed burning, an ancient land management practice designed to remove the vegetation that fuels catastrophic wildfires.Today, the challenge is safely doing prescribed burning at the scale needed to protect modern landscapes. Luckily, there are people working to provide a modern solution to this problem. In our first episode of Disasterproof, we visit BurnBot’s headquarters to meet CEO Anukool Lakhina and see the machines designed to make prescribed fire faster, safer, and more scalable. We also sit down with Archie Stone, the Wildland Fire Coordinator who advocated for the prescribed burns that ended up saving the town of Borger. Together, they make the case that the best way to fight fire is with fire.Subscribe for new episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@disasterproofhq?sub_confirmation=1Disasterproof Hosts: Kat Manalac and Bill ClericoDirector/Producer: Zach BothCinematographer: Matt PiniolAssistant Camera: Matt Breetzke Editors: Josh and Amanda DeislerMotion Graphics: Jules Verardi