Amazon’s Ring cameras can now detect something deadly approaching your home and alert you before it’s too late

Amazon’s Ring is stepping up its wildfire response capabilities with a new feature designed to turn doorbell and outdoor cameras into early warning systems. Unveiled at CES 2026, the tool aims to help communities and emergency services detect and track wildfires as they spread.

Called Ring Fire Watch, the feature is now integrated into the Neighbors app and combines AI-powered detection, real-time alerts, and voluntary camera sharing during wildfire events. According to Dexerto, the system works in partnership with Watch Duty, a nonprofit that provides live fire updates through its own app.

When Watch Duty identifies a fire in a given area, residents receive instant notifications via the Ring or Neighbors apps. Meanwhile, Ring’s outdoor cameras use AI to automatically scan for smoke or flames, sending alerts to users if potential danger is detected. This proactive approach is intended to give people critical extra minutes to respond or evacuate, potentially saving lives and property.

Ring users can help emergency services with real-time fire data

Ring Fire Watch requires a Ring Protect subscription to function, but the company says it hopes the new feature will make communities safer and better prepared during wildfire season. People who live in an alert zone can choose to share photos from their cameras. 

These images go through the Ring app to Watch Duty, giving the nonprofit and local authorities a closer look at how the fire is moving through neighborhoods. Amazon has faced scrutiny over data privacy in the past, with hackers tricking tech companies into sharing private data through fraudulent requests.

Ring founder Jamie Siminoff explained that the new feature is designed to offer more comprehensive coverage during emergencies. He noted that, during a recent wildfire, thousands of Ring cameras were present in the affected areas. 

But emergency officials primarily relied on traffic cameras and other broad data sources rather than leveraging the wealth of information from Ring devices. Siminoff emphasised that the goal is to make real-time, location-specific data from Ring cameras more accessible to help first responders make faster and better-informed decisions

The new Fire Watch feature adds neighborhood-level photos and AI-based detection to the mix. Ring says this should give people earlier warnings and help emergency services understand what’s happening during fast-moving fires. 

This comes as Amazon continues expanding its smart home offerings, recently introducing new Fire TV features to its ecosystem. The feature is designed to work automatically once a fire alert is active in your area. Users maintain control over whether to share their camera footage with authorities during these events.