BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) - A prescribed burn at the Homestead National Monument this spring will offer an opportunity to test an unmanned aircraft designed to help start such fires safely.
Officials are planning to burn about 26 acres of prairie land when weather conditions are favorable at the monument near Beatrice sometime before May 15.
The fire will offer a chance to use the drone aircraft that researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln developed to help firefighters.
Jim Traub with the National Park Service says unmanned aircraft have the potential to reduce the risks involved with starting a fire while also reducing costs.
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