Caldwell County, Texas: “A drone and a helicopter responding to a wildfire in Caldwell County had a near miss” said the Texas A&M Forest Service. The helicopter, delivering water to the Barth Fire, nearly collided with a drone observing the fire near the crash. The Texas A&M Forest Service reminds Texans that flying a drone close to a fire is a serious safety issue to the firefighter and it could cause the wildfire to expand.
Officials from Texas A&M noted “The firefighting aircraft can fly as low as 150 feet above the ground, the same altitude as many hobby drones.” It is a federal crime to intervene with the firefighter aircraft the Texas A&M Forest Service is going to work with the FAA to get temporary flight restrictions around areas that have wildfires for the safety of the firefighters and to not spread the fire around to other areas.
