Civilian drones flew into restricted airspace over the Spokane County wildfires at least 26 times since the fires broke out on August 1, forcing helicopters and air tankers to stop flying while three uncontained fires burned homes below. Four of those drones crossed directly into the path of firefighting aircraft, according to Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels. I have covered drone incursions over American wildfires since the Los Angeles Super Scooper collision in January 2025, and this is the worst single-fire count I have seen.
Sheriff Counts 26 Incursions Over the Fires’ First Days
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office tracked at least 26 unauthorized drones inside the temporary flight restriction covering the Old Trails, Fairview, and Autumn Lane fires between August 1 and August 3. Sheriff Nowels said four of them flew “directly in the path of firefighting apparatus” working the fires from the air.
The incursions kept coming even after officials went public. On the evening of August 3, another drone entered the restricted airspace and grounded every aircraft on the fires for roughly 30 minutes. That was the second grounding in two days.
Each stoppage works the same way. When a drone appears inside the flight restriction, helicopters and air tankers must land or hold until the airspace is confirmed clear, and water and retardant drops stop while the flames keep moving.
“We cannot risk a possible drone impact. It’s a serious safety concern for our crew,” said Ryan Rodruck, spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The state had 35 aircraft assigned to the fires on August 3, drawn from the department, the Washington National Guard, and contract operators.
Two Operators Cited While the FAA Reviews the Cases
Investigators have identified and cited two drone operators so far, and the sheriff’s office referred those citations to the Federal Aviation Administration. Federal law gives regulators real teeth here: flying a drone that interferes with wildfire suppression carries a civil penalty of up to $20,000 under 49 U.S.C. § 46320, and interfering with firefighting aircraft can also bring criminal charges with up to 12 months in prison.
Those numbers are not theoretical. Just three weeks ago, a Colorado pilot faced federal charges for flying inside the Aspen Acres Fire restriction and grounding every aircraft on that fire. The incident command team there put it in five words: “If you fly, we can’t.”
Two citations against at least 26 incursions also means most of these pilots have walked away unidentified. Counter-drone detection at wildfires still depends heavily on visual spotting and Remote ID pings, and a pilot who launches from a backyard two ridgelines away rarely gets caught.
Fire officials kept their public message simple. “If you see smoke, keep your drone on the ground. No photo or video is worth delaying critical firefighting operations.”
Fires Have Destroyed 700 Structures and Displaced 65,000 People
The three fires ignited on August 1 and had burned more than 10,000 acres by early August 4 with no containment reported. At least 700 structures have been destroyed, and nearly 65,000 people were placed under evacuation orders, most of them at Level 3, which means go now.
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown called the fires “the worst natural disaster the region has faced.” Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and imposed a burn ban through September 30, with more than 250,000 acres burned across Washington so far this season.
The Old Trails Fire, the largest of the three, is also a criminal case. Deputies arrested a 37-year-old man on August 3 on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with that fire, a separate investigation from the drone citations.
The Incursion Pattern Keeps Repeating After Every Warning
DroneXL has documented this exact sequence for years, and the escalation ladder is well established by now. A drone collided with a Super Scooper over the Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025 and punched a hole in the aircraft’s wing. A Moab helicopter dodged an unauthorized drone in June 2026. The Colorado federal charges followed in July.
Every one of those stories generated the same official warnings, the same penalty reminders, and the same public outrage. Spokane still recorded 26 incursions in roughly 72 hours. The deterrence message is not landing with the pilots who most need to hear it.
DroneXL’s Take
Here’s what I actually think, this one is indefensible. Every single time a drone shows up over these fires, everything stops: the helicopters, the air tankers, even the fire crews’ own authorized drones. One hobbyist with a quadcopter cancels 35 aircraft. That math should embarrass every pilot who has ever pushed a launch button near a smoke column.
What gets me is that something about having a drone in hand seems to switch off common sense entirely. The fines exist. The federal charges exist, and I reported on them from Colorado three weeks ago. The incursions came anyway, 26 of them, while 65,000 of these pilots’ own neighbors packed their cars under evacuation orders.
That is the part I cannot get past. This is your own community burning. You are chasing the best footage of your life while the aircraft that could actually stop the fire sit on the ground because of you.
Two operators got cited. Twenty-six incursions got recorded. Run that math on how many pilots flew home without consequences, and then ask how many more fires this has to happen at. I did not enjoy writing this article. But 26 incursions over one burning county is not something this industry gets to look away from.
Sources: FireRescue1, CNN, KPQ, iHeart
DroneXL uses automated tools to support research and source retrieval. All reporting and editorial perspectives are by Rafael Suárez.
