PRINCETON, Mass. - Across Massachusetts, over three dozen fire towers play a key part in preventing wildfires from getting out of control. Amid this summer's drought, they've been particularly busy. 

Alex Belote, fire program coordinator with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, said there have been 840 wildfires this year, with 100 since August 1. On dry and windy days, the state typically has 25 of its 42 towers staffed. 

“They’re easily able to spot smoke coming up from brushfires, and coordinating with other towers, they’re able to get a good location and contact the local fire department to go out quickly," Belote said. "They’re able to keep the fires pretty small usually.”

The state's fire tower atop Mount Wachusett offers the highest vantage point, with the ability to see parts of New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Belote and Gary Hannula, a fellow DCR employee, brought Spectrum News 1 up the tower to get a better sense of how much ground it covers. 

"Fires have been spotted out to Orange, Massachusetts, even Connecticut from here," Belote said. "We've helped Rhode Island spot fires!" 

As helpful as the Mount Wachusett tower might be, it takes multiple sites working together to get the exact location of a fire. Looking out over the horizon through a device called an alidade, Belote and Hannula can pinpoint where they see smoke rising, relay the information to other towers, and work together to map it out.

“You’d line it up and then you’d ask the Phillipston fire tower if they could see the smoke you’re talking about," Belote said. "You’d say ‘okay, well my line is 150, where’s your line? Where the lines cross, that would be approximately where the fire is. The more towers that can see it and put a line on it, the more accurate information we can give to the fire department.”

Thanks to the work of those who spend long days atop the fire towers, the state says they've been able to keep fires well-contained, despite the dry conditions. The largest was a 200 acre blaze in Devens, but two years ago, a fire in Clarskburg and Williamstown spread to 1,000 acres.

“We have some people where it's their absolute favorite thing to do, and other people who go ‘Oh man, I want to be on the ground today," Belote said. "It all depends on the person, a lot of the really young guys want to be on the ground, but once you’ve been doing it awhile, the tower’s a pretty good deal.”

The Wachusett fire tower opened in 2014, replacing an old tower that was built in 1966. Its public observation deck draws thousands of visitors each year.