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“Keep the drones at home,” B.C. government urges as wildfires continue to burn


August 18, 2015   by Canadian Underwriter


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British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is reminding operators of unmanned aerial vehicles to “keep the drones at home” when firefighting personnel are battling wildfires in the province.

Under Transport Canada regulations, fines of up to $5,000 and up to six months in jail are possible for those who violate drone restrictions

“The presence of drones near an active wildfire can slow down or completely shut down aerial firefighting efforts due to safety concerns,” the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. “If a drone collides with firefighting aircraft, the consequences could be deadly.”

Related: British Columbia experiences 46 new wildfires over two days

Transport Canada and the BC Wildfire Service explicitly prohibit the use of drones of any size near a wildfire. The restricted airspace includes a radius of five nautical miles around the fire and to an altitude of 3,000 feet above ground level. Under Transport Canada regulations, fines of up to $5,000 and up to six months in jail are possible.

As of Aug. 13, the BC Wildfire Service has been responding to 88 new wildfires in the Southeast Fire Centre, the ministry said in a separate statement. A total of 499 wildfires have occurred in the region since April 1, 2015.

Related: Wildfire spreads into British Columbia from Washington state

The following fires are “highly visible”:

• The Paulson Pass fire covers about 260 hectares and is 0% contained. Twelve BC Wildfire Service personnel are on site, as well as two helicopters and four pieces of heavy equipment. Due to steep slopes and terrain instability, debris could fall on Highway 3 “at any time,” the ministry said;

• The Mount Midgeley fire, west of Creston, covers about 332 hectares and is 10% contained. Forty BC Wildfire personnel, four helicopters and 10 pieces of heavy equipment are working on containment. No structures or communities are threatened by this fire;

• The Rock Creek fire covers about 3,750 hectares and is 0% contained. There are 98 BC Wildfire Service personnel, an incident management team, seven helicopters and 14 pieces of heavy equipment working on this fire; and

• A fire burning five kilometres up St. Mary Lake Road, southwest of Kimberley, is estimated at 0.6 hectares.

As well, the Stickpin fire in the United States is burning near Grand Forks, seven kilometres south of the B.C. border and is 0% contained. It covers about 12,000 hectares.


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