Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., says the federal government has approved $12 million for innovative fire prevention programs. The funding will also be used to protect against invasive species in the basin.

One of the technologies is AlertTahoe, a camera system designed to help firefighters detect wildfires before they become uncontrollable. The plan includes four new cameras and upgrades to the 13 existing cameras in the basin.

“Last year, Nevada experienced devastating wildfires that burned more than 1.3 million acres of land, making it one of the worst fire seasons on record,” said Heller.

He said with the Perry fire north of Reno and the huge Martin fire near Winnemucca, this year isn’t looking a lot better.