Rogue drone blocks firefighter helicopters battling Arizona wildfire, officials say
A roughly 2,000-acre wildfire is threatening lives and property near Flagstaff, Arizona — and a drone that got in firefighters’ way added another obstacle on Wednesday, authorities said.
The unmanned aircraft was spotted on the southeast end of the blaze, forcing firefighters’ helicopter operations — which drop water and flame retardant to suppress fires — to retreat and move to another spot “where flights could safely resume,” Coconino National Forest officials said.
“Regardless of your motivation, flying a drone near a wildland fire is putting someone else’s life in danger,” authorities said. “Your hobby is not worth another person’s life.”
Nearly 700 firefighters are battling the Museum Fire, which started a mile north of Flagstaff on July 21 and has spread to about 1,927 acres, state authorities said in a Thursday morning update. It’s only 12 percent contained, and the cause is still under investigation.
Authorities said drones “not only endanger the lives of pilots and firefighters, but also reduce the capacity of the Incident Management Team to protect the communities of Flagstaff and Summit.”
Last fall, the Federal Aviation Administration warned drone operators across the U.S. that flying their unmanned hobby aircraft near wildfires could result in fines up to $20,000.
“It’s against the law, and firefighting aircraft could be grounded, disrupting time-critical fire fighting efforts,” FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell said in a statement in August 2018.
Another federal official offered an analogy to dissuade drone operators.
“Most members of the public would never dream of standing in front of a fire engine to stop it from getting to a wildfire, but that’s essentially what they’re doing to aerial firefighting aircraft when they fly a drone over or near a wildfire,” Jennifer Jones, spokeswoman for the Forest Service’s National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, said in a statement.
Last month, North Carolina authorities reported that two Forest Service pilots were surprised to encounter drones in the spring — one of them flown by county emergency responders, the News & Observer in Raleigh reported. And tangling with a drone is much more dangerous than encountering an animal in the skies.
“Birds are flesh and bone. They have a tendency to give, though they do damage to airplanes,” pilot Robert Delleo said, according to the News & Observer. “But if we were to run into a drone, which are not flesh and bone, it would be catastrophic.”
As of Thursday, firefighting crews in Arizona were trying to beat back the Museum Fire directly where they safely can and indirectly in spots that are too rugged, authorities said, noting that “there are islands of heavy fuels burning within the perimeter and smoke columns will be visible.”
The fire’s first injury was reported on Thursday at a news briefing, according to the Arizona Daily Sun. Authorities said a firefighter got a hand wound, though no structures have been burned down or threatened so far, the newspaper reported.
Authorities said that they’re expecting thunderstorms, but little rain is anticipated.
“Drying trends and increased temperatures are predicted into the weekend and bring the potential for increased fire activity,” authorities said. “Structure preparation is complete in the communities nearest the fire and those areas will continue to be closely monitored.”
Coconino County has warned that smoke is visible from Flagstaff and that people should limit their time outdoors or stay inside all together — particularly the young, old and those with breathing trouble.
This story was originally published July 25, 2019 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Rogue drone blocks firefighter helicopters battling Arizona wildfire, officials say."
