Hobby drone stalls firefighting crews on Forsyth Fire

SALT LAKE CITY — A drone is to blame for grounding tankers fighting the Forsyth Fire on Wednesday.

Fire information officer Kevin Abel says it was spotted Wednesday in the Pine Valley area near a helibase and in a temporary flight restricted zone.

“If you fly, we can’t,” Abel said.

The drone might be small compared to a tanker, but if it hits just right, it could easily take it down.

“As we’ve seen other aircrafts strike birds, a drone is very similar to that size and weight,” Abel said. “It would cause damage, potentially causing it to crash.”

That not only puts pilots in danger, but anyone on the ground in danger as well.

“It has a huge impact on fire operations,” Abel said. “What we’re doing on the ground, and in the air.”

Temporary flight restrictions are put in place when fire crews are at work to avoid these issues. Abel said it’s essential that anyone with a drone check flight restrictions in the area before flying.

“We can’t risk the lives of our pilots or any of the crew members, or firefighters, “Abel said. “Not to mention that if we had to do a medical evacuation and we have a drone incursion, we can’t fly that evacuation. It affects more than just air tankers and water drops.”

It’s a hazard, but it also delays firefighting efforts. Abel says fire crews were lucky this time because they were able to quickly reroute air operations.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating the incident and the owner of the drone faces possible charges.

Related: Firefighter injured while fighting Forsyth Fire