Victoria – On Saturday June 19, BC Wildfire Service took to social media to explain why drones over a fire scene is a major problem for their crews.
There has been a drone sighting in the vicinity of the George Road (K70804) wildfire (south of Lytton). As a result, air operations on the south side of the fire have been halted.
This is not the first time that drones have been an issue in fighting wildfires. It probably won’t be the last.
Flying a drone within the air space of a wildfire is extremely dangerous and poses a significant safety risk to personnel, especially when low-flying firefighting aircraft are present. If a drone collides with firefighting aircraft the consequences could be deadly. Anyone caught operating a drone that interferes with fire operations could be fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to one year or both.
