4/16/2019 – DRONEDJ
DJI drones helped firefighters to tackle the Norte Dame inferno
The fire that damaged the roof and spire of the Norte Dame in Paris might have caused a lot more damage if it wasn’t for the DJI drones that firefighters borrowed from the culture and interior ministries. The aerial vantage points from the drones helped the firefighters to determine how the fire was spreading and where to position the fire hoses to get the blaze under control. There was a concern that the fire would spread to the two Gothic bell towers that mark the front of the cathedral. Recent news reports indicate that the towers did not incur any structural damage as a result of the fire.
The two DJI drones that were used by the French firefighters are likely the DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dualand the DJI M210 as French media pointed out that both aircraft were outfitted with thermal cameras.
Gabriel Plus, a spokesperson for the fire brigade, told FranceInfo that the drone aided officials in making decisions that in turn saved the Notre Dame’s two belfries at a critical moment. He said:
“The drones allowed us to use our available means in the best possible way.”
A video from the French Ministry of the Interior shows some of the drone footage as well as their operators. As we fully support female drone pilots, we’d like to point out that in one of the shots, a woman is seen holding the controls of what is likely a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual drone.