Watch CBS News

Fire Officials Urge Drone Pilots To Stay Away From California Wildfire Zones

(CBS SF) – Both California and federal fire agencies teamed up Friday to deliver a strong message to the public: don't fly drones over wildfires.

Fire officials talked about how dangerous it can be to fly hobby drones in the airspace above a wildfire.

In just the last week, the U.S. Forest Service said there have been four different incidents in California where drones have grounded aerial firefighting efforts.

"It takes just one small thing to happen to have an accident with an aircraft that's in the air," said Shawna Legarza, U.S. Forest Service Regional Fire Director. "There's a reason we have towers, FAA towers. And there's a reason we have put restrictions on lots of air traffic flying on a fire, for the safety of all the firefighters that are not only in the air but on the ground."

Some California lawmakers are pushing for legislation that would create stiffer penalties for flying a drone over a fire zone.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.