Virtual Booth

Introduction
Forest fires pose serious risks to human safety, ecosystems, and the economy. They cause poor air quality, health hazards, property damage, and high firefighting costs. Early detection is therefore crucial to prevent rapid fire spread and reduce its destructive effects.

Objectives
This project aimed to design and develop a device that can detect smoke and rising temperature at an early stage while simultaneously issuing timely alerts and warnings to minimise the escalation of forest fires.

Methods/Design
The Forest Fire Detection System was developed using a Raspberry Pico microcontroller integrated with an MQ-2 smoke sensor and a DHT11 temperature sensor. The system continuously monitors sensor readings, and when abnormal thresholds are detected, it activates two alert mechanisms. The first mechanism employs the Blynk mobile application, which instantly notifies authorised users such as fire and forestry authorities for rapid response mobilisation. The second mechanism uses an LED display board in public areas to provide real-time warning messages to nearby motorists, farmers, and communities. Controlled tests were conducted to evaluate detection accuracy, sensitivity, and the reliability of alert transmission.

Results
The prototype successfully detected early fire indicators and reliably delivered alerts through both smartphone notifications and LED displays.

Conclusion
This dual-function system has strong potential for deployment in high-risk areas, supporting agencies and communities in reducing fire spread, safeguarding health and the environment, and lowering firefighting costs.