After fire crews near Nakusp had to put firefighting efforts on hold because a drone was flying in the area, the BC Government is reminding drone users that wildfires are no-fly zones.
BC Wildfire Services Incident Commander Glen Burgess says there haven't been any reported cases of drone interference during firefighting efforts in the Okanagan so far this year.
“It has been a problem historically, and it’s something that’s obviously a large concern to us,” says Burgess. “The minute that there are drones in the air, we have to immediately ground our air fleet.”
That's because a collision between a fire services helicopter and a single drone could prove to be fatal.
Violators face an initial fine of $1,150. If they’re convicted, they could face an additional fine of $100,000, as well as over a year of imprisonment.
Restricted airspace near a wildfire is a 5 mile radius, as well as an altitude of 3,000 feet.