The MQ-1 unmanned aircraft being remotely piloted hundreds of miles away quickly alerted fire bosses to a new flare-up they otherwise wouldn't have immediately seen.
"They're piping what they're seeing directly to the incident commander, and he's seeing it in real time over a computer network," said National Guard Lt. Col. Tom Keegan.
Previously, ground commanders relied on helicopters that needed to refuel every two hours.
The 12-day-old Rim Fire continued to grow, expanding to 301 square miles. But crews building lines around the flames made significant progress, and containment jumped to 30 percent. Cooler temperatures and lighter winds are aiding firefighters.
Increasingly confident fire officials said they expect to fully surround the blaze in three weeks, although it will burn for much longer than that.
