California Firefighters Forced to Ground Aircraft After Drone Invasion

Firefighters with the California state fire agency were forced to ground their aircraft while fighting the Line Fire in San Bernardino County because of unauthorized drones in the area.
The Line Fire ignited on September 5 near the San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California. The blaze has since grown to more than 39,000 acres and is 51 percent contained. It has put thousands and thousands of structures at risk, including single- and multifamily homes and commercial buildings.
The fire was so severe that California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency for San Bernardino County earlier this month, unlocking additional state resources and personnel to assist firefighters and securing federal assistance to support the response to the blaze.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) crews have been tirelessly combatting the flames but were forced to pause their efforts earlier this week when drones interrupted their operations.
“There have been multiple drone incursions over the Line Fire area. This has forced us to temporarily ground our aircraft which has impeded firefighting operations,” CAL FIRE posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday morning. “Please help us share the message that flying drones in wildfire areas can have serious consequences.”
CAL FIRE also included information about the drone incursions in its most recent status update about the fire, warning that flying drones near a wildfire “can have deadly consequences.”
“Please be respectful of those fighting the fire and the community members who are impacted by fire. Never fly drones near wildfire. If you fly, we can’t,” the update said.
Newsweek reached out to CAL FIRE by email for comment.
Other social media accounts also called out the drone incursions, criticizing people who chose to fly drones near wildfires to acquire imagery of the fires.
“Folks, don’t fly your drone near wildfires. I see a lot of [weather chasers] do this with alacrity (primarily in other states)…you’re a scumbag if you do this,” one post said. “It not only puts the fire aviators at risk, but also the crews on the ground who could be crushed, get burned up in the resulting spot fire, or have their lives ruined by having to fish the remains of the pilots out of the wreckage.”
“No shot is worth it,” the post added.
The cause is under investigation, CAL FIRE said. There are no evacuation orders in place for residential areas, although all national forest lands, trails and roads in the San Bernardino National Forest are closed within the wildfire zone. Several evacuation warnings advising people to be ready to flee should fire behavior change remain in place.