---
title: Terps Look to the Sky to Solve a Burning Challenge
date: 2025-04-29T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/terps-look-to-the-sky-to-solve-a-burning-challenge"
section: Articles
---
# Terps Look to the Sky to Solve a Burning Challenge

*April 29, 2025* — by [Annie Krakower](/author/annie-krakower)


> In XPRIZE Competition, Students, Faculty Design Autonomous Drone System to Detect, Suppress Wildfires

*Drone 1 1920x1080 — A drone with a water balloon suppression system flies during testing by Crossfire, a UMD team competing in XPRIZE Wildfire. The competition challenges international participants to design solutions to detect and suppress wildfires in 10 minutes or fewer.*

Dark smoke from a stack of pallets set ablaze billowed up against a bright blue sky at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) in La Plata, Md., prompting a four-rotor drone to lift off nearby. After surveying the area in a back-and-forth pattern, it centered itself over the fire with a single red water balloon suspended beneath it. The balloon dropped and burst at the precise location to tame the flame—while a Terp team burst into cheers.

The scene last month represented a successful test of a prototype for an airborne robotic firefighter developed by [Crossfire](https://crossfire.umd.edu/), a University of Maryland team of students and faculty competing in [XPRIZE Wildfire](https://www.xprize.org/prizes/wildfire). Launched in 2023, the four-year, $11 million privately funded competition challenges participants from around the world to design solutions to detect and suppress high-risk [wildfires](https://eng.umd.edu/here-to-help#wildfires) in 10 minutes or fewer, before they can grow deadly.


*red water balloon falls from drone onto pallet fire — A drone drops a water balloon onto a pallet fire during testing.*


*aerial camera footage showing "FIRE DETECTED" — Data from thermal and optical cameras help detect fires from above.*



**Sidebar note:**

All through April, Maryland Today will celebrate how the University of Maryland is reimagining learning and teaching. Find more stories at [today.umd.edu/topic/we-reimagine-learning](https://today.umd.edu/topic/we-reimagine-learning).





**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [Academic Competitions](https://today.umd.edu/topic/academic-competitions), [Aerospace Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/aerospace-engineering), [Fire Protection Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/fire-protection-engineering), [Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute](https://today.umd.edu/topic/maryland-fire-and-rescue-institute), [Student Experience](https://today.umd.edu/topic/student-experience)


**Units:** [A. James Clark School of Engineering](https://today.umd.edu/topic/james-clark-school-engineering)