Cal Fire: Drones Ground Planes, Complicating California Wildfire Fighting Efforts
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Firefighters say they've had to halt air efforts against wildfires after spotting drones in the fire zone.
Photographer Jeff Hall took video of the King Fire in El Dorado County last year using a camera attached to a drone.
"It's something I kinda wanted to take footage and show what people can't see," he said. "It can be very effective in the right hands."
It can also be a pain in the neck for firefighters in the air.
"Whether it's damage to the aircraft, whether it's injuries to our pilots, to our firefighters, or worse case, a mid-air collision," said Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant. "These are not risks we are willing to take."
He says the department has had several recent run-ins with drones in the airspace above wildfires.
"Unfortunately that has caused us to pull those aircraft out of that area and in many cases ground the aircraft until we can get that hobby drone out of the flight zone," he said.
It happened on Wednesday at the Lake Fire in San Bernardino County. A drone forced air crews to the ground, putting homes and lives at risk.
"When we have to take aircraft out of the fire and they are not able to battle the blaze, the fire has the potential to get larger, more damage is going to be done, so there are serious ramifications," Berlant said.
There's still a lot of gray area when it comes to rules involving drones, but the Federal Aviation Administration doesn't allow them in temporary flight restriction areas that are usually in place over large wildfires. Drone operators could face serious charges from the FAA if they enter any temporary flight restriction zone.
"But even on other wildfires that are in the initial stages, and there may not be a temporary flight restriction in place, if your aircraft is hampering our efforts, you could still face civil and even criminal charges for not allowing us to do our job," Berlant said.
Hall says he makes sure to keep his distance. Any closer could be deadly.
It's exciting, it's fun, it's like no other. But at the same time, you're being held responsible for it," he said.
Cal Fire says the safest way to view a wildfire from the air is news helicopters, which can fly at a much higher elevation than fire choppers and air tankers and stay out of the way.