How Lincoln drone company is helping fight central Nebraska wildfires

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – With multiple wildfires raging across central Nebraska, burning thousands of acres, a local company is working to help firefighters.

DroneAmplified, created by University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor Carrick Detweiler, is trying to help fire crews put the blazes out safely.

SEE ALSO: Wildfires burn 6,000 acres in central Nebraska; two firefighters injured in crash

Noah Eno, an engineer at Drone Amplified, told Channel 8 that the company gives firefighters an advantage.

“The Ignis Aerial Ignition platform that we use is an opportunity for firefighters to get a unique vantage point from the air, where they can assess how the fire is progressing, assess how their burns are progressing and things like that,” he said. “And then they can use that to make informed decisions on where they need to burn and where they need to allocate resources.”

Custer County Emergency Manager Mark Rempe said more than 6,000 acres have been burned, with several homes being threatened.

SEE ALSO: Crews battle two grass fires in northern Lancaster County

Eno said when fires like this spark, DroneAmplified helps prevent them from becoming worse.

“In the situation we’re having in Nebraska, they use the thermal camera in the system, and it can help them see spots or embers that might have flown past the fire line they have already secured,” he said. “And help them identify where fires might start beyond the perimeter.”

He said the company is continuing to work on the drones as a way to prevent fires in the first place.

“This is mostly working on helping to prevent forest fires through the practice of prescribed burning and also containing them through back burning when they’ve already occurred,” Eno said.

SEE ALSO: Lincoln company working on drones to help put out large wildfires like LA’s