Apple Arcade just got its first update of 2025. The subscription service added seven new games to its roster, including three originals and four updated versions of classic games like Final Fantasy and Trials of Mana.At the tail end of last year, Apple Arcade revealed a handful of games set to come to its ad-free mobile game service but stopped short of giving them a release date. Today, subscribers can download those seven titles on the iOS device of their choice.Recommended VideosThe batch is headlined by Skate City: New York, the latest game by acclaimed mobile developer Snowman. The skateboarding game is a sequel to Apple Arcades launch title Skate City, an early standout on the platform. Another big addition is Three Kingdoms Heroes, the latest game from Koei Tecmo. The turn-based tactics game essentially looks like a microtransaction-free version of Fire Emblem Heroes but for the Romance of the Three Kingdom series. Its well-timed, too, as Koei Tecmo is set to release another Three Kingdoms game, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, later this month.Please enable Javascript to view this contentApple Vision Pro owners are even getting something with the update. Gears & Goo, a tower defense game built for Apples headset, launches today. Digital Trends demoed it last year and found a simple but satisfyingly tactile strategy game that made good use of the headsets eye-tracking and gesture controls.Those new releases are rounded out by four existing mobile games joining the service. The original Final Fantasy and Visions of Mana are the standouts there, with both receiving + versions. Subscribers can also download Rodeo Stampede+ and Its Literally Just Mowing+ today.

The Los Angeles area has been hit by devastating fires, destroying thousands of structures and forcing swathes of people to evacuate. Reports suggest multiple deaths and no immediate respite from the hazard.In the midst of chaos, many have turned to an app to keep an eye on the situation as it unfolds and receive emergency alerts. The app in question is Watch Duty, which aggregates details from government agencies, news briefings, and camera feeds capturing the damage by fire.Recommended VideosUsers can also sign up to get the latest notifications, though some users have suggested on public forums that one should turn them off as they can get a tad overwhelming during emergencies.Reddit / Digital TrendsThe app, which is available for Android and iOS platforms, also has a web dashboard that users can access to stay vigilant and keep track of the situation. The app pools together information from officials as well as volunteers, but to keep things in order, it labels them as such.Please enable Javascript to view this contentWatching the play by play on the Watch Duty app with all these fires going on around me. Thank you so much to all the Firefighters battling these fire since yesterday ! #PalasadesFire #EatonFire pic.twitter.com/rMkkzPtOv0 N I K (@RemixNik) January 8, 2025In the app, you get photo and video updates alongside details such as warning zones, evacuation orders, and shelter locations. At the moment, the app is available in 22 states, including the disaster-hit California.Social media platforms such as Reddit, X, Facebook, and Instagram have amassed a healthy number of posts from residents and well-wishers asking their acquaintances to download the Watch Duty app.Reddit / Digital TrendsAs a result, the app has skyrocketed in popularity and climbed to the top of the App Store download charts, reports TechCrunch.Notably, Watch Duty is run by a non-profit and operates on a very tight budget. It is run by the Santa Rosa-based nonprofit Sherwood Forestry Service.Monitoring our LA home from across the country using Watch Duty.So far it's safe, but the Sunset fire introduced a wave of anxiety.This is heartbreaking for so many. pic.twitter.com/l79tDxm9mW Ryan Hoover (@rrhoover) January 9, 2025The app is a brainchild of John Mills, who started it soon after moving into a wildfire-prone area and was inspired by his own experiences of struggling to find reliable and up-to-date information for such emergency scenarios.It started with me convincing them I was not a Silicon Valley tech bro. I was not here to make money on disaster, and I lived here too, Mills was quoted as saying by The Los Angeles Times.Reddit / Digital TrendsAccording to The Washington Post, the app has already clocked over 4 million downloads. The app is free to use, though there is also a subscription tier that offers additional information, such as flight tracking and firefighting details.Interestingly, Watch Duty only has over a dozen employees but commands a pool of over 200 volunteers, which counts dispatchers and firefighters among them, both active-duty and retired.Thank god for Watch Duty and social media because sending out a mass evacuation alert even to safe areas is peak incompetence The King of Burbank (@akingofburbank) January 10, 2025Users can submit their own photos documenting the situation and keep an eye on the hazard perimeter, which is sourced from satellite imagery and official sources. You can access the web version of Watch Duty now.Editors Recommendations

Theres new information about this years iPhone 17 smartphone lineup, all concerning the cameras found on the phones. Depending on opinions, the news could be viewed as a mix of good and bad.Firstly, leaker Digital Chat Stationconfirmed an earlier report by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that said the company plans to make significant camera upgrades on the 2025 iPhone lineup.Recommended VideosAll iPhone 17 models are expected to have a front-facing selfie camera with a 24MP/6P lens, an upgrade from the 12MP/5P lens found in the current iPhone 16 models. This upgrade is anticipated to improve image quality and minimize camera distortions.Please enable Javascript to view this contentAdditionally, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are set to have upgraded telephoto lenses, jumping from 12MP to 48MP. This change would mean all three rear-facing cameras on the next-generation iPhone Pro models will feature 48MP lenses.Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital TrendsKuos previous report suggested that only the iPhone 17 Pro Max would receive the telephoto lens update, not the smaller iPhone 17 Pro. Another leaker later confirmed this.Meanwhile, the same leaker says this years iPhone 17 Pro models will have a smaller primary camera sensor when compared to the Fusion camera found on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.The sensor on the 48MP primary camera on those models could drop from 1/1.28 inch to 1/1.3 inch.MacRumors correctly points out that the fractions mentioned refer to the sensors type rather than its physical dimensions. As a result, a 1/1.3-inch sensor is smaller than a 1/1.28-inch sensor.This difference is not expected to have a significant impact on photo quality. However, it could support rumors that Apple plansto redesign the camera bump for the iPhone 17 Pro models. This year, the bump may be rectangular and made of aluminum instead of glass. It is still too early to assess whether this change will be advantageous or not. It should be noted that another report says there will be no changesmade to the camera bump on the iPhone 17 Pro models.Like recent lineups, the iPhone 17 series should include a regular model and two iPhone Pro models. For the first time, we could also see an iPhone Air model that will replace the iPhone Plus. This model is expected to be the thinnest iPhone to date and feature significant design changescompared to the rest of the series.Editors Recommendations

One of the greatest military rivalries of the ancient world featured dramatic scenes of elephants crossing the Alps, and a bloody final clash.

How different cultures meet the most fundamental of biological needs has shaped history into myriad forms.

Selected by Stephen J. Campbell, the author of Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life.

I'm not saying it was aliens A glowing ring of metal fell to Earth, and no one has any idea what it is The large ring weighs nearly half a ton and does not match a returning rocket. Eric Berger Jan 10, 2025 11:05 am | 29 A view of the metal ring, nearly 8 feet wide, that fell from the sky into Mukuku village on Dec. 30 in eastern Makueni County, Kenya. Credit: Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images A view of the metal ring, nearly 8 feet wide, that fell from the sky into Mukuku village on Dec. 30 in eastern Makueni County, Kenya. Credit: Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreIt has been more than a week since reports first emerged about a "glowing ring of metal" that fell from the sky and crashed near a remote village in Kenya.According to the Kenya Space Agency, the object weighed 1,100 pounds (500 kg) and had a diameter of more than 8 feet (2.4 meters) when measured after it landed on December 30. A couple of days later, the space agency confidently reported that the object was a piece of space debris, saying it was a ring that separated from a rocket. "Such objects are usually designed to burn up as they re-enter the Earths atmosphere or to fall over unoccupied areas, such as the oceans," the space agency told The New York Times.Since those initial reports were published in Western media, a small band of dedicated space trackers have been using open source data to try to identify precisely which space object fell into Kenya. So far, they have not been able to identify the rocket launch to which the large ring can be attributed.Now, some space trackers believe the object may not have come from space at all.Did it really come from space?Space is increasingly crowded, but large chunks of metal from rockets are generally not flying around in Earth orbit undetected and untracked."It was suggested that the ring is space debris, but the evidence is marginal," wrote Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist working at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. McDowell is highly regarded for his analysis of space objects. "The most likely space-related possibility is the reentry of the SYLDA adapter from the Ariane V184 flight, object 33155. Nevertheless, I am not fully convinced that the ring is space debris at all," he wrote.Another prominent space tracker, Marco Langbroek, believes it's plausible that the ring came from space, so he investigated further into objects that may have returned around the time of the object's discovery in Kenya. In a blog post written Wednesday he noted that apart from the metal ring, other fragments looking consistent with space debrisincluding material that looks like carbon wrap and isolation foilwere found several kilometers away from the ring.Like McDowell, Langbroek concluded that the most likely source for the object was an Ariane V launch that took place back in July 2008, in which the European rocket lofted two satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit.The Ariane V rocket was a rather unique rocket in that it was designed with the capacity to launch two medium-sized satellites into geostationary transfer orbit, a destination much more popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s than it is today. To accommodate both satellites, a SYstme de Lancement Double Ariane, or SYLDA, shell was placed over the lower satellite to support the mounting of a second satellite on top of it. During the launch in 2008, this SYLDA shell was ejected into a 1.6-degree inclined geosynchronous transfer orbit, Langbroek said.Could it have come from a European rocket?Over the years, this object has been tracked by the US military, which maintains a database of space objects so that active spacecraft can avoid collisions. Due to a lack of tracking stations near the equator, this object is only periodically observed. According to Langbroek, its last observation took place on December 23, when it was in a highly elliptical orbit, reaching a perigee of just 90 miles (146 km) from the Earth. This was a week before an object crashed into Kenya.Based on his modeling of the possible reentry of the SYLDA shell, Langbroek believes it's possible that the European object could have landed in Kenya around the time its entry was observed.However, an anonymous Twitter account using the handle DutchSpace, which despite the anonymity has provided reliable information about Ariane launch vehicles in the past, posted a thread that indicates this ring could not have been part of the SYLDA shell. With images and documentation, it seems clear that neither the diameter nor mass of the SYLDA component matches the ring found in Kenya.Additionally, Arianespace officials told Le Parisien newspaper on Thursday that they do not believe the space debris was associated with the Ariane V rocket. Essentially, if the ring does not fit, you must acquit.So what was it?Eric BergerSenior Space EditorEric BergerSenior Space Editor Eric Berger is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering everything from astronomy to private space to NASA policy, and author of two books: Liftoff, about the rise of SpaceX; and Reentry, on the development of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon. A certified meteorologist, Eric lives in Houston. 29 Comments

AI is really popular Only 5 percent of US car buyers want an EV, according to survey Almost two thirds of US consumers want internal combustion for their next vehicle. Jonathan M. Gitlin Jan 10, 2025 10:51 am | 43 Credit: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreOnly 5 percent of US consumers want their next vehicle to be a battery electric vehicle, according to a new survey by Deloitte. The consulting company gathered data from more than 31,000 people across 30 countries as part of its 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study, and some of the results are rather interesting, as they pertain to technologies like new powertrains, connectivity, and artificial intelligence.Among US consumers, internal combustion engines (ICE) remain number one, with 62 percent indicating that their next car will not be electrified. Another one in five would like a hybrid for their next vehicle, with a further six percent desiring a plug-in hybrid. (The remaining survey respondents either did not know or wanted some other powertrain option.)By contrast, only 38 percent of Chinese consumers want to stick with ICE; meanwhile, 27 percent of them want a BEV next. That's a far higher percentage than in other large nationsin Germany, only 14 percent want a BEV; in the UK and Canada, only eight percent are BEV-bound; and in Japan, the number is a mere 3 percent.Meanwhile, hybrids are far more attractive to consumers in most countries. While only 16 percent of Chinese and 12 percent of German consumers indicated this preference, 23 percent of Canadians, 24 percent of UK consumers, and 35 percent of Japanese consumers replied that they were looking for a hybrid for their next car.Deloitte suspects that some of this reticence toward BEVs "could be due, in part, to lingering affordability concerns." The hoped-for parity in the cost of a BEV powertrain and an ICE powertrain has still not arrived, and fully 45 percent of US consumers said they did not want to pay more than $34,999 for their next car (11 percent said less than $15,000, 9 percent said $15,000$19,999, and the remaining 25 percent said $20,000$34,999.)Why the reticence?Despite popular sentiment, there are actually quite a few electric vehicles available for much less than the average new vehicle price of $47,000. But other than the Nissan Leaf, all of them have prices starting with a "3." (Meanwhile, 75 percent of car buyers in the US buy used cars, and the transition to electrification will not change that underlying reality.)In fact, rangeor the perceived lack thereofremains a greater problem for EV adoption than purchase prices. Just 49 percent of US consumers listed range as an impediment, with 46 percent indicating charging times and 44 percent listing price. (Survey respondents could give more than one reason.) Similarly, UK consumers were slightly more concerned about range (52 percent) than price (49 percent), with similar results in Germany (54 percent range, 45 percent price).Interestingly, the price of an EV was not one of the more commonly cited deterrents in China (22 percent) or Korea (24 percent); in both these countries, cold-weather performance and the reduction in range in cold temperatures was cited as more important (China, 37 percent; Korea, 38 percent).Why an EV?Deloitte also surveyed consumers about their reasons for wanting or not wanting an EV. In the US, "lower fuel costs" was the number one reason for wanting an EV at 56 percent. Forty-four percent are also motivated by concern for the environment and 36 percent by the driving experience. Indeed, the easiest way to convert someone to wanting an EV is by giving them a short test drive, where the advantages of electric propulsion become apparent.Those three reasons were pretty consistent across most of the countries in which Deloitte conducted the survey, albeit with slightly different splits. Environmental concerns and lower fuel costs were major factors in every country. Only Germany, where government subsidies just edged out the driving experience, and Korea, where the need for reduced maintenance came third, differed from the herd.A big concern for non-EV drivers pondering or worrying about changing powertrains is the state of public charging infrastructure. This is understandable, if misguidedif one only has experience of vehicles that require refueling with liquid hydrocarbons at a specialized refueling center (i.e., a gas station), it's easy to see how they can't think outside that paradigm.On the other hand, as virtually every EV driver knows, the entire point is to plug in at the end of each day and recharge slowly with cheap electricity, waking up to a fully charged battery. Actually, the people surveyed by Deloitte mostly appear to grasp this concept: 79 percent of US consumers expect to charge an EV at home most often, with just 11 percent expecting to charge at work and only one in 10 indicating public chargers. The splits were basically identical for the UK, although 20 percent of Germans expect to use public charging infrastructure.In Asia, meanwhile, many fewer consumers expect to charge at homeonly 63 percent in China, 62 percent in Southeast Asia, and 61 percent in Korea.Among those who plan to charge at home, many more of them currently have access to a dedicated charger in China (77 percent) than those in the US (40 percent), Germany (37 percent), the UK (33 percent), South-East Asia (32 percent), or Korea, where just 19 percent have access to a dedicated charger (although 50 percent of Korean respondents indicated they had access to a charger shared with neighbors).AI is way more popular than you thinkDeloitte also surveyed consumers on their attitudes toward connected cars and AI, among other new technologies, and the results for US consumers will probably come as a shock to most Ars readers. For example, 45 percent of US consumers indicated that adding AI to a vehicle system was beneficial, with another 29 percent having no particular opinion.And more than one in two US consumers is prepared to pay extra for connected vehicle services if they include warranty or recall notices (51 percent), insurance discounts based on driving data (52 percent), anti-theft tracking (60 percent), automatic detection of vehicles and pedestrians (60 percent), and emergency assistance (62 percent).However, there is little trust among consumers that car companies, car dealers, insurance providers, or connectivity providers deserve their trust when it comes to managing datawith good reason.Jonathan M. GitlinAutomotive EditorJonathan M. GitlinAutomotive Editor Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. 43 Comments

I've been following the Mediterranean diet for years, and I've learned a lot of simple recipes.Lamb souvlaki, baked salmon, and creamy chicken pasta are all in my dinner rotation.For breakfast, I love shakshuka, and orange, avocado, and shrimp salad is a great lighter meal.I learned to cook for the Mediterranean diet at university over five years ago. Since then, I've tried various recipes and even developed some of my own.I take a minimalist approach to my diet and often only use a few ingredients in my meals. I bulk out the more expensive ingredients, like fresh fish and poultry, with whole grains, mixed beans, and vegetables.My favorite recipes take about 10 to 30 minutes to prepare and don't require any specialist equipment.I've discovered a love for orange, avocado, and shrimp saladI wasn't initially convinced that orange, mustard, and shrimp went together. It felt unnatural to make a salad without traditional ingredients like cucumber and tomato.However, the sweetness of the orange sharpens the buttery avocado and perfectly complements the shrimp.Start by tearing half of an orange into segments. Squeeze the juice from the other half and put it to the side. Dice an avocado, slice half a red onion, and rip up some romaine lettuce. Add all of the components to a bowl with a few pieces of shrimp on top I like to buy the precooked kind for convenience.To make the dressing, combine the orange juice with a splash of olive oil, a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, and a little salt and pepper.Zucchini fritters with tzatziki make a wonderful lunch Fried zucchini fritters. instacruising/Shutterstock Vegetable fritters are one of my favorite snack foods to batch-cook and freeze for busy weekday lunches.Grate one zucchini and half an onion into a sieve. Add a little salt and squeeze out the excess water with a spoon.Then, grate a handful of Parmesan into a bowl with a cup of all-purpose flour, a splash of milk, and one egg. Combine the grated vegetables and batter.Add a generous amount of olive oil to a pan and fry small dollops of batter until golden. Press the fritters flat to make sure they're cooked all the way through.For the tzatziki dip, mix Greek yogurt, two crushed garlic cloves, a sprig of fresh mint, and a dash of olive oil.Smoked mackerel pt is an indulgent treatInstead of sweets and chocolate, I like to indulge in cheeses, smoked meats, and pts.To make that fit into my Mediterranean diet, I combine precooked and shredded smoked mackerel, light cream cheese, and a squeeze of lemon juice.Season the pt with salt and pepper, and serve it spread on sourdough toast.Shakshuka is the ultimate weekend brunch dish Baked shakshuka in a skillet. DebashisK/Shuttershock If I fancy a Mediterranean breakfast on the weekend, I go for shakshuka.Saut diced red pepper, green pepper, and onion with two crushed garlic cloves. Add a sprinkle of cumin, paprika, coriander, and red-chili flakes before pouring in some chopped tomatoes.Place three eggs in the mixture, cover the pan, and let them simmer on low heat.Remove from the heat once your eggs are cooked to your liking and finish with fresh chopped parsley and mint.On special occasions, I'll whip up a lamb souvlakiAs a young journalist, lamb is a little out of my price range, so I reserve it for special occasions.I opt for a good-quality lamb shoulder and season it with garlic, oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil for a few hours.Add chunks of lamb to a wooden skewer and throw them on the grill. I often bulk out my kebabs with bell peppers and onions.Finish the meal with tzatziki and Greek potatoes.Salmon with veggies is an easy weeknight meal Baked salmon on a bed of greens and rice. Nigel O'Neil/Getty Images If I've spent my evening at a spin class or late-night meeting, salmon is my go-to dish.Season some fillets with garlic and herbs and wrap them in aluminum foil. Cook them in the oven for about 15 minutes and pair them with roasted asparagus and broccoli.I've concocted a Mediterranean version of a make-your-own pizzaIf you have an at-home dinner date coming up, make some puff-pastry pizza together.Roll out a premade puff-pastry sheet, add pesto and tomato paste for the base, and cook for five minutes.Once it's out, top with crumbled feta, spinach, and onions for a veggie-style pizza. You could also use some shredded salmon for a little extra protein.Put it back in the oven until the cheese starts to brown and melt.To balance out my lighter meals, I like to make a 1-pot creamy-chicken pasta Creamy fettuccine pasta. Eugene Mymrin/Getty Images We all need cheesy carb-filled dinners from time to time the Mediterranean diet is all about balance and moderation.Chop up a few chicken breasts, fry them in a pan until golden, and remove.Saut a few cloves of garlic and combine with chicken stock, heavy cream, and fettuccine pasta in the pan. The measurements will depend on how much you like garlic and cream.Once the sauce has thickened, sprinkle in some Parmesan, olives, and lemon slices and pop the cooked chicken back in.Chorizo and butter-bean stew is a cozy mealOn colder days, I like to cozy up with a stew.Slice up some chorizo and fry in a pan for a few minutes. Crank your extractor fan onto its highest setting to avoid the smoke alarm going off I speak from experience.Toss in cans of butter beans and chopped tomatoes and let everything sizzle.Add a big spoonful of pesto for a garlicky twist and serve.I like to make frittata when it's time to clean out the fridge Baked veggie frittata in a skillet. Monkey Business Images/Getty Images When I don't know what to make, eggs are always a great option.Mix a few eggs, a handful of sun-dried tomatoes, and some crumbled feta cheese together.Finely dice half an onion and fry with crushed garlic for a few minutes. Saut some spinach in the onion mixture and pour the egg concoction on top.Bake in the oven until the egg is fully cooked and garnish with fresh parsley and your seasonings of choice.Whenever I need a little extra protein, I turn to tofuIf I find myself in a bit of a food rut, I mix things up with meat alternatives.I've only recently discovered tofu, and I've been enjoying adding it to salads and grain bowls for a protein boost.I marinate the tofu cubes in lemon, garlic, and rosemary overnight and then fry them in olive oil for a crispy texture.This story was originally published on May 17, 2022, and most recently updated on January 10, 2025.

Insurance companies hire private businesses to protect properties from wildfires proactively.The CEO of one company told BI that actions range from using fire-blocking gel to cleaning gutters.He said companies like his can help solve the insurance crisis, as they focus only on economic loss.Insurance companies are hiring private firms to protect customer properties before wildfires roll in by taking measures like applying protective gels and removing combustibles to try to fire-proof structures.David Torgerson is the CEO of Wildfire Defense Systems, a private company that contracts with insurance carriers to protect homes and businesses from flames like those ripping through Southern California. As a qualified insurance resource, he said that Wildfire Defense Systems works exclusively with insurers, partnering with dozens of carriers across 22 states to protect structures."We are typically working hours in advance, or days in advance of the fire passing over a property, and we call that the pre-suppression," he told Business Insider. "We're preparing the property to survive the amount of time that the fire is in proximity to the structure, and then we quickly come back in after the fire is passed to secure the property."Still, he said that his employees who, unlike first responders, are not focused on saving lives or containing the blaze are "actively working" to help battle the fires in Southern California.In addition to applying the fire-blocking gels and getting rid of flammable materials, Wildfire Defense System's strategies include cleaning gutters and operating sprinkler systems, according to a fact sheet shared with BI. The famed Getty Villa has so far survived this week's blaze in part because of similar fire-mitigation efforts.Once a fire passes through a neighborhood, company personnel will return to insured homes to put out any simmering spot fires and other risks, Torgerson said. By law, he said, his company can only protect homes covered by insurance policies that include his services.In recent years, insurance companies have cut back on coverage in California, largely due to wildfire risk. In 2023, State Farm said it was no longer accepting new homeowner insurance applications in the state. It also ended coverage for 72,000 homes and apartments last year, including some in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood devastated by the most recent blaze.Preliminary estimates have put insured losses at more than $20 billion, a record high for California. Real estate and insurance experts previously told BI that the current wildfires will likely exacerbate the state's insurance crisis.Torgerson said that qualified insurance resources like his are part of the solution to coverage woes because they mainly try to mitigate the economic cost of a fire."Our job really is to help policyholders and insurance carriers keep insurance available in the marketplace," he said. "If wildfires are going to get steadily more intense and more frequent, the scale of our operations have increased."With some of the nation's wealthiest zip codes on fire in Pacific Palisades, for example, the average home price is $4.5 million, per Realtor.com controversy has erupted around who has access to fire safety resources. When a Los Angeles-based investor and self-described entrepreneur posted on his X account about how to hire private firefighters for his home, many responded with outrage in the comments. The user, Keith Wasserman, has since suspended his X account.Torgerson told BI that his services are very different from private firefighters, whom he said comprise a tiny sliver of the market. Wildfire Defense Systems does not have contact with individual homeowners and protects properties based on risk, not home value. He also said that his employees meet all training required by the National Wildlife Coordinating Group and are members of the firefighters union."It only really comes up when the fires are occurring in Southern California, the LA basin," he said of private firefighters, whom he said are not subject to the same training. Torgerson said its services are part of standard insurance policies with the affiliated companies, though he declined to disclose which insurers use his services.In 2021, State Farm said in a press release that it was partnering with Wildfire Defense Systems and that the perk was added to all non-tenant homeowner policies in California, Arizona, and Washington. Chubb also partners with Wildfire Defense Systems in California and other states, according to its website, and says that policyholders can opt to enroll in the protective services.Representatives from State Farm and Chubb did not respond to a request for comment from BI.