Firefighting teams trying to tamp down the still-active fires in the California Wine County have a message for any would-be drone operators hoping to capture video of the disaster from the air:
Don’t even think about it.
As fire crews continue their battle to contain the blazes, the California Highway Patrol has made it clear that amateur operators pose a serious threat to the firefighting efforts. The drones can hamper fire operations, especially those using retardant-dropping aircraft.
A post on the CHP’s Santa Rosa Facebook page said Cal Fire had spotted multiple drones in the active-fire areas.
“Cal Fire is reporting drones in the Petaluma area,” said the Sunday post, emphasizing the message in upper-case letters: “FIRE FIGHTING PLANES CANNOT FLY IF YOUR DRONE IS IN THE AIR! Land them if you want these fires out!”