Firefighting authorities battling saddle fires in Utah have had their aircraft grounded for the third time this week after detecting drones in the area. Protocol now dictates that aircraft must be grounded to avoid collisions for safety reasons. Despite being a federal offence to use drones within only about 318 acres of a fire’s no-fly zone, it still proves tempting to amateur photographers and is causing a growing problem for firefighting authorities.
Firefighting authorities battling saddle fires in Utah have had their aircraft grounded for the third time this week after detecting drones in the area. Protocol now dictates that aircraft must be grounded to avoid collisions for safety reasons. Despite being a federal offence to use drones within five miles of a fire’s no-fly zone, it still proves tempting to amateur photographers and is causing a growing problem for firefighting authorities.