The wildfires devastating parts of Los Angeles, California, have led to the mobilization of one of Cal Fire's greatest arsenals—aviation.
The Fort McMurray wildfires demonstrated that folks who put sprinklers on their roofs had an excellent chance of preventing their houses from burning. A sprinkler won’t do much good when a fire ravages through your neighbourhood, but a good soaking 6 hours before makes a really big difference. If an entire neighbourhood is soggy then the fire really has an uphill battle to spread. A little prevention might just help a whole lot, together with building large concrete cisterns for water storage at higher elevations so that water can be supplied via gravity to the fire prone neighbourhoods. A decent sized flying boat can handle pop up fires if the area can be safe to operate in. Fire is a terrifying thing and all fire prone areas need to realistically plan for combatting this, not just reacting when it occurs.
Funny you bring this up, Tom. I was telling my wife yesterday that if we lived there (again), I’d proactively have permanent metal (disguised) pipe on the roof fed from a pump sucking water out of a swimming pool. Most high end houses have pools out there. I’d even consider a backup source of power for the pump. Preparing oneself is part of the equation here … not waiting or hoping for the Government to save the day.
There were water storage tanks in the hills in the Palisades area that were filled specifically for firefighting, but since air support on the fire was impossible for the first ~12 hours due to high winds, the fires simply spread so fast that the tanks ran empty after about five hours of water being drawn from them at something like 3-4x the normal rate, and the municipal water system in the area was never intended to be able to supply that kind of demand for the better part of a day, so refilling the tanks was difficult.
I was actually flying into LAX as the Palisades fire was starting to get bad, and even from several miles away in a moving airplane, it was possible to see the line of flames visibly moving because the wind was driving it that fast, so emergency crews never really had a chance against something like that.
The collision between the Canadian CL-415 and an unidentified drone over the Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles is a stark example of the recklessness that endangers lives. Flying a drone in restricted airspace during an emergency isn’t just irresponsible, it’s a blatant threat to firefighters, pilots, and the communities relying on their efforts. These actions jeopardize lives and delay critical firefighting operations when every second is vital.
Remote ID, mandatory since September 2023, is a key deterrent, broadcasting a drone’s location and operator information so authorities can quickly identify violators. If this drone was emitting its Remote ID, investigators could already be tracking the operator. If it wasn’t, it shows an even greater disregard for safety and the law.
Drone operators have no excuse. They must follow flight restrictions, avoid emergency zones, and ensure their drones comply with Remote ID rules. Flying a drone is not just a hobby or a means to capture footage, it is a serious responsibility. This incident is a harsh reminder of why compliance with Remote ID regulations should not be optional.
You are in an area rapidly being ravaged by wildfire, and you are frokin dipshit enough to be flying your drone. Now that, Jethro, is some kind of horse’s ass stoooooopid. I hope it was expensive.
I used to fly a Cessna 185F scout plane on forest fires for a state agency. I recall one fire in the mountains where the incident commander told me that two drones had been seen flying around the fire when I arrived. It’s next to impossible to see these small aircraft when you are circling the fire at 80 - 90 kts so I stayed away from the fire at 1,500 AGL until I was told that they had located the operators and had them land their drones. Helicopters and tankers fly just above the trees so they are more vulnerable to low altitude drones. Imagine having one of these things come through your windshield at 90 kts. Remote ID will help but won’t completely prevent incidents like this collision. It wasn’t mandated when I flew the fire in 2016. I think we need technology like Ukraine is using to jam Russian drones.
I understand that later on the SBI and FAA had a nice chat with the drone operators.
Yes to water on roofs, but even bigger yes to brush cutting, and removing the cut bushes, 50 metres from your property minimum, 100 metres better.
But because this takes a week of manual labour, and involves actually talking to the owners of the land, it is very seldom done.
As for the drone, what are the chances that it was a fire brigade or police one? Pretty high, I think.
Andrew_M, I agree, we need solutions like the jamming technology Ukraine uses against drones. The problem is not just serious, it’s unacceptable. In 2024, 21 drones disrupted wildfire operations in California, Arizona, and Alaska, grounding firefighting aircraft almost half the time. Now, we’ve had a drone collide with a firefighting plane over the Palisades Fire in SoCal, forcing it out of action.
What kind of reckless mentality leads someone to think flying a drone near a wildfire is excusable? These incursions put lives at risk, firefighters in the air, people on the ground, and entire communities in the path of destruction. Public awareness campaigns and fines, like Montana’s $1,500 penalty, are only a start. We need strict enforcement, advanced technology like geofencing, and far tougher penalties to eliminate this dangerous behavior.
Flying a drone near a wildfire is not curiosity, it’s sheer irresponsibility. Keep your drones grounded, or be ready to face the consequences. Firefighters don’t need this kind of interference when they’re risking their lives to save ours.
Sadly, Remote I.D. is a farse. I have one of the better major name brand versions on my drone and it will be readable about 1200 feet away most are 300-400 feet, now subtract 400 for altitude and you can’t track them very far at all. So unless the police (in this kind of emergency response) is around the corner and monitoring his drone app on his phone, this will never be tracked. Drones are so cheap and readily available that any 14 years old kid who got one for Christmas will be filming the fires to get the most views. What a world we live in.
That does not look at all like the damage that would be caused by a tanker drone. Anything large enough to haul water would have brought down the CL-415. Drones are a menace and should be kept completely away from our airspace. Any drone operator whose drone collides with or interferes with aircraft that are hauling humans should be prosecuted harshly.
I’m happy for the CL-415 crew’s safe return. The drone operator needs to publicly spanked as an example to other drone cowboys/cowgirls.
Off soapbox… but drones are difficult to see from an airplane and a midair with a drone in the pattern would be a bad day for my students and me… and we have had drones reported at pattern altitude and on downwind, so a strike isn’t completely out of the question.
Drones are a growing nuisance. One followed me into my backyard a few weeks ago and hovered at eye level about 50’ away. Invasion of privacy and harassment. I wish there were legal countermeasures one could take. I called the non-emergency number when the thing would not leave and of course as soon as the operator saw me phone it in he/she recalled their drone.
Fortunately this drone didn’t hit the cockpit or engine during a run in … What self involved jerks (droners).
I have been reading these comments for a long time and never had much to say. But the drone thing got to me.
I’m an inactive private, instrument rated pilot, 86 years in a few days. I am a CERTIFIED drone operator. I observe all the rules regarding drone flying. BUT, and here is where I totally agree with much that has been said in this forum, I have a few friends that have drones, fly as hobbyist and routinely bust the rules. One of them had a blast flying up to 4,000 feet agl, at night!! Wasn’t that a blast. He sure thought so. They don’t know the rules (laws) and don’t want to know them. Sad, very sad.
Moon, you’re absolutely right—Remote ID has a long way to go. Most drones only broadcast their location within 300–400 feet, with even the best models barely reaching 1200 feet. Add altitude and obstacles, and tracking them becomes nearly impossible for law enforcement. In critical situations like wildfires, this limitation isn’t just inconvenient—it’s risky.
The reality is clear: the system needs to be fixed before drones can be safely integrated into our airspace. Allowing them to fly without robust safeguards puts lives at unnecessary risk, both in the air and on the ground.
The FAA has made progress with Remote ID, treating it like a “digital license plate,” but its range and enforcement capabilities fall short. Efforts to improve detection systems by companies like Pierce Aerospace are promising, but they’re not moving fast enough. Local police have been provided a “toolkit” for managing drones, yet many lack the resources or training to make it effective.
Meanwhile, drones continue to flood the market, bought for recreation and commercial use without enough consideration for safety. As their swarm numbers grow, so do the risks—highlighted by incidents like the recent collision with the firefighting plane in L.A.
What’s needed is a stronger Remote ID system: a range of 1,500–3,000 feet, effective detection tools for authorities, permanent systems at critical sites, and cockpit alerts for pilots. Without these improvements, drones pose more challenges than benefits in shared airspace.
The FAA must act with greater urgency. Airspace safety isn’t optional, and this issue requires more than halfway solutions. Fix the system so drones can operate responsibly.
As a next step why not remote ID on automobiles and trucks? Letting the authorities know exactly who is obeying the laws and who is not. Or systems that prevent operations within certain locales or above certain speeds?
Let us be careful what we wish for. We might just get it.
I’m so tired of drones. I’d be willing to bet this was not being operated by a sanctioned agency such as fire or police but more likely it was a YouTube influencer trying to get a shot that will drive up their clicks and revenue. IF they ever find this drone operator (I refuse to call them pilots) he or she needs to be prosecuted harshly and this needs to happen each and every time. Sorry, not sorry.
Just stop. This has no place here. The drone issue is a serious one, as potential loss of life and property is way more important than aimlessly ranting about.
