Drones take firefighting, emergency response to new heights in China (Voice_over) With their extensive monitoring range, high mobility, and flexibility, drones are increasingly being used in China for firefighting and emergency response missions. At a recent firefighting drill in Fuzhou City of eastern China's Fujian Province, 500 square meters of the top floor of a 110-meter-high building was set ablaze. Within 20 seconds, drones equipped with hoses that dangled to the ground were spraying water directly at the target. The blaze was extinguished in just 30 minutes, nearly twice as fast as traditional firefighting methods. (Sound_bite) Ma Yuchun, Senior commander, Forest, Grassland Firefighting, Aerial Rescue Division, National Fire, Rescue Administration: "The integration of drones with ground teams has transformed traditional firefighting methods, addressing challenges that were previously difficult or even impossible to overcome, fundamentally reshaping rescue strategies." (Voice_over) Drones also provide indispensable assistance in forest and grassland fire scenarios across the country. In the Daxing'anling Mountains, home to one of the country's largest forested regions, drones conduct patrols during the day and at night with the help of thermographic imagining cameras. (Sound_bite) Sun Qi, Deputy Director, Firefighting, Rescue Command, Daxing'anling Mountains Forest Fire Brigade, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region: "Previously, firefighters had to conduct foot patrols or deploy helicopters to assess fire risks. Now, these tasks have been assigned to drones, significantly enhancing patrol efficiency, improving fire detection, and extending aerial surveillance capabilities for forest protection." (Voice_over) According to a recent report from Chinese research firm Zero Power Intelligence Group, the country's drone market is expected to be worth more than 82 billion U.S. dollars by the year 2029. [Restriction: No access Chinese mainland]