Dutch drone company Avy – an alumnus of ESA’s Business Incubation Centre Noordwijk, next to the Agency’s ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands – looked into using its long-range Aera drone to raise the alarm on summer wildfires on a real-time basis.

Last year more than 750 football fields worth of forests and dunes went up in flames due to summer wildfires. By equipping Aera with a camera, first responders could obtain early warning of new fires and real-time information while en route to the scene.

Testing took place with Dutch company CHC Helicopter and regional public safety organisation Veiligheidsregio Noord-Holland Noord. Watch a video here.