DURHAM, N.C. — Drones are playing a big role in helping monitor the fertilizer plant fire in Winston-Salem.
Crews from across the state have assisted in the effort, including the Durham Fire Department.
The Durham agency started using drones in its firefighting efforts about a year and a half ago.
This week, the fire chief reached out to offer those services to crews in Winston-Salem.
The drones can help the incident team with situational awareness, monitoring hot spots and other potential hazards.
"There are other crews that are over there that are also flying drones," firefighter Kevin Punt said.
He is one of a handful of firefighters in Durham who are drone certified.
"So being able to share that information like, hey, you know you've got powerlines up to 50 feet, or you've got cell towers, or you've got parts of the factory that are tall that you need to be aware of ... they know the distance that they can stay away and stay safe," Punt said.
Because of the hazardous materials on site and the potential for an explosion, firefighters weren't being sent in to hose down the flames at the fertilizer plant in the early days of the fire.
Durham Fire Department Division Chief Dan Cremeans says that's why drones make all the difference.
"Technology like drones, and robots and so on ... they're not cheap, but they cost a lot less than a life," Cremeans said.
Durham has six or seven drone-certified pilots among its firefighters. Its goal is to eventually have 24.