Air attack planes were grounded last Sunday because of an unmanned aerial vehicle (or drone) in the Testalinden Creek area. The RCMP continue to investigate. Here, a “skimmer” prepares to drop a load of water. Photo by Lyonel Doherty
The RCMP and the BC Wildfire Service are looking for the person responsible for a drone that jeopardized people’s safety on Sunday during firefighting efforts in Oliver.
Aircraft were forced to halt operations on the Testalinden Creek and Wilson Mountain wildfires due to an unmanned aerial vehicle (or drone) flying over the fire.
Eight helicopters and five fixed-wing aircraft that were supporting ground crews were grounded, which significantly impacted fire suppression operations.
BC Wildlife Service spokesperson Noelle Kekula said the bird dog spotted the drone and communicated that to other pilots, who had to land for safety reasons. She said the drone posed significant risk to air personnel and ground crews because of the potential for a mid-air collision.
Kekula said an RCMP helicopter searched for the drone but could not find it. Fire suppression operations resumed after that.
All wildfires are considered to be “flight restricted” as per the Canadian Air Regulations. The area restricted is within a radius of five nautical miles around the fire and to an altitude of 3,000 feet above ground level. The operation of any aircraft not associated with suppression activities within this area is illegal.
This aerial activity is dangerous and poses a significant safety risk to personnel, especially when low-flying firefighting aircraft are present.
Transport Canada and the BC Wildfire Service explicitly prohibit the use of drones of any size near a wildfire.
On Sunday, BC Premier Christy Clark visited Oliver to thank firefighters for all their efforts. She was also quick to condemn the person responsible for the drone, saying when these machines interfere with aircraft, people may be losing their homes.
