LA wildfires: Officials warn against flying unauthorised drones

As the wind-driven fires continue across Southern California, officials are pleading with people to not fly drones over wildfire-ravaged areas.

“Everyone should know, all of your viewers, flying a drone in the fire traffic area is not only dangerous, but it’s illegal,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Maroney said.

The fire chief stressed that doing so could severely hamper efforts, noting that if a drone is over one of the fires that crews are battling, all firefighting aerial operations shut down.

Temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) are put in place by the FAA to alert pilots of areas of restricted air travel due to a hazardous condition, a special event, or a general warning for the entire FAA airspace.

TFRs are currently in place over the Palisades and Eaton fires, allowing firefighting aircraft the airspace they need. They apply to all aircraft, including drones.

Drone videos of destroyed neighbourhoods are spreading over social media, despite the threat of jail time.

During a news conference Thursday, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman reiterated that anyone caught flying a drone faces severe consequences.

“If you’re thinking that it’s fine to send a drone up in the area for your own amusement, or you want to get information that nobody else can get, and you do it in one of these areas that for which drones are not permitted … you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted and you will be punished to the full extent of the law,” he said.

A super scooper plane on contract from Quebec hit a drone while fighting the Palisades Fire. It is only one of two super scoopers available and it’s now out of commission until at least Monday as it gets repaired, officials said.

The pilots were unaware they hit the drone until they landed at Van Nuys Airport and the maintenance staff noticed a “fist-sized hole,” according to Maroney.

“We do have our federal partners behind the scenes,” he said. “[They] are going to be implementing procedures to be able to follow drones in our two large fire areas, and they will be they will be able to identify who the operator of that drone is.”

In 2019, KABC’s helicopter had to make a precautionary landing after it was hit by a drone while flying over downtown Los Angeles.

“We heard this pop, a loud bang,” said pilot and reporter Chris Cristi. “We felt it, we heard it. We all looked at each other. Didn’t really know what it was. Just assumed it was a bird because that happens every once in a while. When we got on the ground, though, it was a different story.”

FAA rules prohibit flying drones within five miles of an airport, above 400 feet elevation or in a way that interferes with manned aircraft. It also says drones cannot be operated beyond the unassisted line of sight of the operator.

And if you’re thinking of citing “the media” as a reason to be exempt from the rules, the FAA stresses that even media personnel are not allowed to fly near wildfires unless they’re granted a special approval that “must directly support a response, relief, or recovery activity.”

“Not only are these drone flights illegal and dangerous for our firefighters,” said ABC Owned TV Stations executive producer and licensed drone pilot, Tim Sarquis, “It makes flying legitimately more difficult. When drone pilots break the rules, it hurts everyone, resulting in more restrictions if not full-out bans of drones in some areas.”

US media reports that privately owned civilian drones are being flown in areas impacted by the fires and causing disruption to aircraft battling the flames.

More than 30 drones flying within the temporary flight restriction area of the Palisades fire have been detected over the past 24 hours, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesperson Sheila Kelliher.

Officials note that it is illegal to fly drones in areas where there is a temporary flight restriction in place.

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UPDATE: Four contained; Palisades, three other fires still burning in the U.S.