Firefighting drones head to Aspen—can they suppress a blaze before humans arrive?

Bay Area startup Seneca has signed its first customer, Aspen Fire Protection District, to deploy a five-drone strike team capable of delivering foam suppressant to small wildfires before human crews arrive. Each drone carries enough water to produce over 50 gallons of finished foam and has a range of three to five miles, positioning the technology as an early suppression resource. The deal makes Aspen the first US wildfire agency to adopt such aircraft, amid a growing firetech sector responding to longer and more destructive wildfire seasons.