California Wildfires 2017 News: Recreational Drones Get in the Way of California Fire Fighters
Drones, with the proper clearance and equipment, can help a lot in times of disaster like the recent wildfires that swept Northern California. The drones flying around trying to capture footage of the fires have neither of these, and they pose serious threats to airborne firefighting missions instead.
Fire officials in California are not happy about the drones that are keeping their choppers and planes grounded. It has come to the point that the California Highway Patrol has resorted to posting in all caps on social media on Sunday, Oct. 15.
"Cal Fire is reporting drones in the Petaluma area. FIRE FIGHTING PLANES CANNOT FLY IF YOUR DRONE IS IN THE AIR! Land them if you want these fires out!" the CHP wrote on their Facebook page, hoping to reach drone pilots online.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Law enforcement got involved as well. The Petaluma Police Department has arrested 24-year old Nestor Rodriguez for hovering his drone over the local airport, as the Mercury News reported. The FAA is already conducting their own investigation.
The hobby drone's proximity to the airport, which was being used by Cal Fire for their helicopter missions at the time, forced those choppers to remain grounded for about ten minutes.
Rodriguez claims that he did not know that he was committing something illegal. The police cited him nonetheless, for impending emergency personnel. His drone, like many others flitting about snapping pictures of the fire to post on social media, posed a serious danger to firefighting efforts, according to officials.
"The drone was not only potentially perilous for the helicopters landing at and leaving the airport, it also held up the operation, endangering lives and further fire damage to an already fire ravaged area," police explained.
Drone incidents continue to be encountered in Northern California, as the recent wildfires claimed a death toll of at least 41 people killed as reported on Monday, according to CNBC.
