Washington State all-cap implores drone pilots to avoid wildfires

Officials in Washington State battling a series of wildfires are making a clear, unmistakable, and what should be – after this many years of repeated blazes ravishing the globe – an unnecessary appeal to drone operators: Keep your craft the eff away from burn zones and the firefighters seeking to control them.

Authorities in Washington are among those across the western US and huge swaths of Canada working desperately to contain fires that continue torching thousands of acres of land – taking wilderness, private property, and lives in their paths. To add to their woes, emergency workers and government officials have repeatedly had to suspend control efforts due to leisure drone pilots and aerial photography enthusiasts defying flight bans, and putting firefighting aircraft at risk.

Read: New Montana law targets drone pilots disrupting firefighting efforts

This week, the Washington Department of Natural Resources could take no more of the illicit, dangerous, irresponsible, and unimaginably stupid drone incursions into proscribed wildfire airspaces, and issued an all-caps appeal for pilots to stop being morons.

“Can’t believe we have to say this, but: STOP FLYING DRONES NEAR WILDFIRES,” Washington’s Department of Natural Resources pleaded on social media. “DRONES GROUND OUR AIRCRAFT. Our firefighting operations are more important than those 12 likes you’ll get on Instagram.” 

The department made several additional requests that broadened its warning beyond drone hobbyists seeking to wow followers on social media with wildfire footage. In a follow-up tweet, the organization made it clear that some boat owners had proven just as lamentable as UAV enthusiasts in confounding the work of firefighter aircraft.

“Interference with our aerial operations could cost our fire crews crucial time,” the department said. “BOATERS, this also means stop trying to ‘race’ aircraft scooping water from lakes. You’ll lose (your pride and possibly your boat).”

Wildfires have been burning across Washington all summer, and recently claimed two human lives in addition to the countless wild animals they’ve engulfed. Other US states have been similarly victimized, with officials there echoing similar complaints made by peers across Canada about continued drone flights in emergency zones and around airports, forcing them to suspend firefighting aircraft operations. 

Read: InDro data gathering drones deployed in support of BC firefighters

In response to social media readers expressing incredulity that people could actually be so irresponsible in such critical emergency conditions, Washington’s Department of Natural Resources made it clear there was no shortage of dolts with drones or water craft when it comes to defying operating restrictions.

“*deep sigh* Yes, we’re mentioning these things because they’ve already happened multiple times this year,” one of its posts read. “Air crews had to leave the #IronCreekFire in June due to a drone in the area. At another fire, a jet ski drove in front of a scooper skimming the lake.”