Authorities have said that drones have delayed the aerial response to the fires on a freeway in California. I wonder if any of these are operated by news gathering agencies.
Here's more on the latest drone threat to aerial firefighting:
Above spectacular wildfire on freeway rises new scourge: drones
By Michael Martinez, Paul Vercammen and Ben Brumfield, CNN
Updated 6:10 PM ET, Sat July 18, 2015
Phelan, California (CNN)—Of all the elements they must battle in a wildfire, firefighters face a new foe: drones operated by enthusiasts who presumably take close-up video of the disaster.
Five such "unmanned aircraft systems" prevented California firefighters from dispatching helicopters with water buckets for up to 20 minutes over a wildfire that roared Friday onto a Los Angeles area freeway that leads to Las Vegas.
Helicopters couldn't drop water because five drones hovered over the blaze, creating hazards in smoky winds for a deadly midair disaster, officials said.
The North Fire torched 20 vehicles on Interstate 15 and incited panic among motorists who fled on foot on the freeway Friday. The wildfire continued to burn uncontrollably Saturday, scorching 3,500 acres with only 5% containment in San Bernardino County, officials said.
Drones hovering over wildfires is a new trend in California, and on Saturday, fire officials condemned the operators of "hobby drones," as officials labeled them. It was unclear Saturday whether authorities would launch an investigation into the five drones.
"Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities to report, but the 15 to 20 minutes that those helicopters were grounded meant that 15 to 20 minutes were lost that could have led to another water drop cycle, and that would have created a much safer environment and we would not have seen as many citizens running for their lives," said spokesman Eric Sherwin of the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
The drones got away, and firefighters resumed their water drops by chopper.
"We can't confirm who was running drones, and we did not collect any of the drones because our focus was on fighting the fire," Sherwin added.
Firefighters disdain drones buzzing over their work sites. At a national level, how to regulate drones and their flight paths are an ongoing controversy, especially as private industry pushes the Federal Aviation Administration for more freedom to use drones in commerce.
"Please stop flying hobby drones in the area," U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Gerrelaine Alcordo said about the wildfire site. "We can't risk the choppers colliding with them. We could have loss of life."
The FAA has placed temporary flight restrictions around the wildfires, which means the unmanned aircraft should not fly there without agency approval, spokesman Ian Gregor told CNN by email.
He said the FAA promotes voluntary compliance. However, the agency could impose civil fines ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 if someone operates a drone in a dangerous manner or continues to operate one illegally after being contacted by the FAA, he said.
Drones visit California wildfire, angering firefighters - CNN.com
Some U.S. Forest Service guidance with a poster (Smokey the Bear ad campaign coming soon I would guess):
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest - Alerts & Notices