These Cheap Sensors Could Help Stop Fires That Sweep Through Urban Slums
Fighting fires is many times more difficult in slums, but this local early warning system—combined with trained locals—could help save lives.
When a fire broke out in a slum on the edge of Cape Town, South Africa, on New Years Day in 2013, it took firefighters six hours to stop the blaze as it spread from shack to shack. By the time the fire stopped, 4,000 people were homeless and four people had died.