A Mother’s Escape From the Paradise Fire Inspires Santa Fe AI Hackathon

Ember to Aftermath brings wildfire experts and AI developers together during the inaugural New Mexico Tech Week.

SANTA FE, NM, UNITED STATES, November 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- When wildfire destroyed Curt Doty’s mother’s home in Paradise, California, her survival depended on a decision made with frighteningly little information. Escaping with a neighbor, she chose to drive toward the mountains—a decision that saved their lives. She later relocated to Santa Fe, giving her son a personal motivation to pursue better wildfire information and protection.

Her experience inspired Ember to Aftermath, an October 27 AI hackathon connecting wildfire professionals, entrepreneurs, developers and community members. Hosted at the New Mexico Innovation Hub during the first New Mexico Tech Week, the RealmIQ event combined expert presentations, discussion, a development sprint and demonstrations.

Doty initiated the effort with longtime colleague Jeff Boortz, who sponsored and created the hackathon’s concept, wildfire focus and framework. An Emmy-winning creative director and brand strategist, Boortz explored AI’s potential to expand human invention while emphasizing skepticism, judgment and shared economic benefits.

Expertise Before Experimentation
Speakers included New Mexico State Forester Laura McCarthy; William A. Foster IV, Forest Markets Manager for the state Forestry Division; Van Leimer, Wildland Division Chief of the Los Alamos Fire Department; Stephen Guerin, founder of Simtable; and David Perez, founder and CEO of the New Mexico Innovation Hub.

“This was my first experience at an AI Hackathon. The morning presentations by wildfire experts, followed by a question and answer with AI hackers, brought up lots of new ideas. I was curious to learn what the hackers would come up, so I returned to hear their presentations to the judges. It’s a good model to catalyze innovation.” — Laura McCarthy, New Mexico State Forester.

McCarthy addressed ecological challenges, recovery and Indigenous land-management practices. Leimer discussed response obstacles and preparedness. Guerin explored community-controlled information sharing through a “digital acequia.” Foster highlighted biomass markets that could connect forest restoration with rural jobs, landowner income and locally produced materials and energy.

Three Winning Solutions
Fire Sentry: Dominic Siegele presented a ground-sensor network measuring smoke particles, gases and environmental conditions, with proposed cellular communication and satellite backup. His working prototype recorded increasing particle readings near active fires. Developed with Claude’s assistance, the concept would complement cameras and satellites. Field deployment, hardware testing, false-alarm reduction and predictive modeling remain next steps.

FireSpread: Holly Grimm demonstrated a community camera concept requiring a second viewpoint to corroborate smoke detections, reducing potential false alarms. Local image processing would limit transmission of neighborhood footage. The demonstration combined scripted detection alerts with a separate forecast using historical Hermits Peak data. Integrating those capabilities and validating performance remain priorities.

Ember Ready: Carlos Alvarez and his team demonstrated a mobile-friendly application combining aerial imagery, homeowner photographs, AI analysis and a preparedness checklist. The prototype flagged vulnerabilities such as combustible fencing and vegetation near structures. Developed with ChatGPT assistance, it requires completed scoring, action plans, privacy protections and expert validation.
Collaboration With Community Purpose
Organizers thanked the New Mexico Innovation Hub for graciously hosting, recognizing David Perez, Kelly Stanhope, the Hub community, the New Mexico Consortium and participating tenants.

“The New Mexico Innovation Hub is designed to facilitate events like Ember to Aftermath to come together to create,” said Perez. “This project illustrates the important work innovators in New Mexico are doing to make a positive impact on our community at large.”

Thanks also went to New Mexico Tech Week for including Ember to Aftermath in its inaugural program, with special appreciation to Vicki Apodaca and Paul Zelizer.

Judges included Doty, Boortz, Amy McCawley, Carl Mclendon and an AI judge. All three winning demonstrations were early-stage prototypes requiring further development before operational use.

For Doty, the purpose remained personal: connecting accessible information with decisions that protect lives. The event brought technical talent together with wildfire expertise to turn shared concerns into practical starting points.

About the Human AI Innovation Commons

The Human AI Innovation Commons is a Georgia nonprofit promoting shared benefits from human–AI invention. Its charter divides net licensing revenue equally among human inventors and contributors, UBI and workforce-transition programs, and an AI Trust Fund supporting third-party AI safety research. Its tools include Brainstorm, Patent Forge, Per Se and Figura.

Curt Doty
RealmIQ
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