Drone over Wilson Creek wildfire temporarily halts air firefighting efforts

The B.C. Wildfire Service said it temporarily halted air operations on the Wilson Creek wildfire due to a drone.

On Sunday, a helicopter was grounded and aircraft working on other fires in the area had to be diverted from their flight paths around Little Wilson Lake, located about 19 km east of Nakusp, due to the presence of a drone.

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RCMP are investigating the incident.

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The B.C Wildfire Service is reminding the public that it is illegal to operate a drone within a radius of five nautical miles around a wildfire, and to an altitude of 3,000 feet above ground level.

Under Transport Canada regulations, anyone caught flying a drone within a fire zone could face a $25,000 fine or up to 18 months in jail.

In spring of 2016, B.C.’s Wildfire Act was updated to include a penalty of up to $100,000 and a year in jail for anyone — including drone pilots — caught interfering with firefighting efforts.

READ MORE: B.C. wildfire status: 230 fires burning across the province

This is not the first time a drone has interfered with crews fighting wildfires.

A drone flying over the 2015 Testalinden wildfire temporarily halted firefighting efforts. Crews were also briefly grounded while fighting a wildfire near Kelowna earlier that same year.

There were also two reports of drones near wildfires in 2016, though flight operations were not disrupted.

— With files from Simon Little