Drones interfere with Monday’s firefighting efforts; DNR calls for grounding of all unauthorized aircraft

After drones interfered with firefighting efforts this week, first responders are asking the public to keep out of the Spokane Complex fire airspace.

Washington Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Ryan Rodruck said fire aerial resources were grounded at 5 p.m. Monday due to unauthorized drone incursions. The agency tracked at least 40 unauthorized drones in the temporary flight restrictions area. Unauthorized drones pose safety threats to firefighting aircrafts, Rodruck said, and can significantly delay response times.

Temporary flight restrictions have been enacted around the Spokane complex fires, and restricted airspace boundaries can be found on the FAA’s website.

“The FAA often puts Temporary Flight Restrictions in place during emergencies to protect aircraft involved in response operations. Unless specifically authorized, all other aircraft, including drones, are prohibited from operating within a TFR,” an FAA spokesperson said in an email.

Hindering or interfering with firefighting efforts is a federal crime punishable by up to two years in prison, the FAA said. People in violation can be fined up to $100,000, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said in a news conference Monday night.

Drones can interfere with aircraft and can cause more damage to planes than birds, according to a report by the FAA.

An FBI task force has been set up for counter-drone measures, and several cases of drone interference have been sent to the FAA, Nowels said. Officers from Spokane and King counties have been deputized as federal officers to enforce flight restriction violations.

“We are done playing games with this. We have fires that are growing, and our firefighters need all the help they can get,” he said. “It is going to become very, very serious, and they’re going to get very, very, weighty penalties from the federal government if they continue to do this. We’re done giving warnings for this.”