In the second reported incident this summer, fire fighters had to deal with interference from a drone while fighting the Boundary Fire on Sunday.
On Sunday morning, while a helicopter assisting with firefighting efforts was flying over the Boundary Fire, a drone, otherwise known as an unauthorized unmanned aerial system, was reported flying over the fire within the Boundary Fire Temporary Flight Restricted area. As a safety precaution the helicopter was advised to stand down until the drone had left the fire area.
“Flying a drone over a wildfire to shoot video footage can create a serious safety issue for firefighting aircraft conducting aerial ignitions, bucket drops, or responding to a medical emergency,” Incident Commander, Jeff Andrews said. “Sometimes what seems like a fun, harmless activity can have major impacts to the safety of our firefighters.”
Members of the public should never fly an unmanned aerial systems over or near a wildfire. Firefighting aircraft, such as air attack, lead planes, airtankers and helicopters, typically fly in smoky, windy and turbulent conditions. Safety depends on knowing what other aircraft are operating in the airspace and where they are at all times. This is compromised by the presence of unauthorized drones.
All unauthorized UAS flights over wildfires on National Forest System lands will be reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and law enforcement agencies. Individuals who have been determined to have endangered manned aircraft or people on the ground with a UAS and/or interfered with wildfire suppression may be subject to civil penalties, including fines of up to $25,000, and potentially criminal prosecution.