‘These incidents don't need to happen': Sask. officials warn residents not to fly personal drones near wildfires

CTV News

7 days ago

Provincial officials are highlighting the dangers of using drones around wildfires as crews continue to battle blazes across northern Saskatchewan.
'Immediately upon a wildfire being identified, the airspace around it is automatically restricted from any air operations without authority,' Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) VP of operations Steve Roberts told reporters Thursday.
The warnings come after a personal drone near Flin Flon, Man. forced crews to ground a water bomber, impacting efforts to fight an uncontained large wildfire which jumped the Saskatchewan border.
Kristen Hayward, assistant deputy minister with Manitoba Wildfire Service, confirmed the incident during a press conference alongside Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew.
'Unfortunately, aircraft had to be grounded off that fire [Tuesday] as well due to a drone incursion in the airspace over the fire,' Hayward said.
'You got a community of thousands of people who's on the verge of evacuation, and one of the reasons is because we couldn't fly water bombers in the area,' Kinew said.
'Putting your drone up there and getting a video that you can share is simply not worth it.'
The Manitoba government told CTV News the drone issue was in Saskatchewan, which was confirmed by the City of Flin Flon — a border community that spans both provinces.
Hayward added that it is 'disappointing' people are not hearing the message that operating a drone near a wildfire can impede efforts to battle the flames.
According to Transport Canada, 'flying a drone over or near a wildfire without permission increases the risk that a firefighting aircraft will collide with the drone.'
'If a drone is spotted in the area, emergency response teams need to ground their operations, which puts lives at risk,' the federal agency added.
As personal drones become more popular, so too does the danger.
Earlier this year, a drone struck the wing of a water bomber from Quebec fighting wildfires in Los Angeles.
The L.A. County Fire Department said the plane, known as Quebec 1, was damaged after it was struck by a civilian drone on Jan. 9 over the city's Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, where dozens of residential blocks were reduced to smouldering rubble.
'Quebec 1 sustained wing damage and remains grounded and out of service. There were no reported injuries,' the fire department said in a social media statement.
The damage forced the tanker to be taken out of service.
Officials in Saskatchewan don't want to see it happen again.
'We have a lot of dedicated pilots and individuals trying to suppress and protect communities,' SPSA President Marlo Pritchard said. 'These incidents don't need to happen.'
Federal regulators add operators could face serious penalties, including fines and/or jail time, if they break the rules.
- With files from Milan Lukes and The Canadian Press.