Two drones flying during Poeville Fire halted operations for an hour

Two drones that were flying during the Poeville Fire in Nevada halted fire fighting operations for about an hour. This drone incident took place last weekend.

Firefighting operations at Poeville Fire were halted after two drones were seen

The firefighting operations during the Poeville Fire in Nevada were halted after two drones were seen flying nearby.

Manned aerial operations play a big part in controlling wildfires, especially in brought terrain that is not easily accessible.

“There's a lot of people on the ground that are depending on the use of the aircraft, so if we have our dozers working and we may have the air tankers putting retardant ahead of them to make it a little safer,” said Mike Heikka, Battalion Chief for Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue, according to 2News.

However, as soon as drones are spotted in the sky, these manned aerial operations need to be stopped out of safety considerations for the crew.

“They may think they are small little drones that can't hurt anything, but that little drone can take down those giant DC-10 tankers as well as the helicopters,” said Sheriff Darin Balaam with the Washoe County Sheriff's Office.

“Anytime we get a report of a drone in an area, especially near a fire, we have to shut down the aircraft, because it's real dangerous if an aircraft flies into a drone or a drone into an aircraft, it could cause a fatality,” said Heikka. “Anytime you see a fire we are going to have aircraft coming into that area, we put in a Temporary Flight Restriction area.”

In the United States, as a recreational drone operator, you

“Never interfere with emergency response activities such as disaster relief, any type of accident response, law enforcement activities, firefighting, or hurricane recovery efforts, according to the FAA.”

As a Part 107 drone operator, you should know better.

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Photo: 2News