Drone pilots and equipment thieves are sabotaging forest fire fighting in British Columbia

Tourists flying drones are complicating firefighting efforts and also putting rescue workers in mortal danger during the extensive forest fires in Canada, according to the emergency management ministries in British Columbia, who are now urging visitors to stop flying drones in the disaster area.

The forest fires in Canada continue to rage in the worst fire season on record in the country. 

After extensive evacuations in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, a total of around 30,000 residents have also been forced to leave their homes in the western part of the country, and tens of thousands more are on evacuation alert.  

During all of this, critical forest firefighting equipment in BC has also been reported stolen, according to the CBC.  Hoses, sprinklers, pumps and an ATV have gone missing, B.C. Wildfire Service says. The missing gear includes at least 15 sets of equipment, which each contain multiple pumps, hoses and sprinklers, according to  information officer Forrest Tower.

380 fires are said to be burning in the Canadian province of  British Columbia at the moment. 150 of these fires are deemed to be out of control. 50 structures or more have been confirmed damaged in West Kelowna, BC, where a fire doubled in size 100 times in 24 hours over the weekend 

On the weekend,  the Minister of Forestry in British Columbia, Bruce Ralston, issued a warning to the increasing number of so-called "fire tourists" who travel to the fire zones and film with drones.

"Drones pose a significant risk to our airborne firefighters battling the fires. Now is not the right time to photograph active fires. It is not only irresponsible but also illegal to fly them in these areas," he says according to Reuters.

Urging for evacuation In several cases, tourists have hindered evacuations and also affected rescue operations.

Bowinn Ma, emergency managment minister in British Columbia, also emphasizes the importance of following evacuation orders:

“We cannot stress strongly enough how critical it is to follow evacuation orders when they are issued,” Bowinn Ma, the province’s minister of emergency management, said on Saturday. “They are a matter of life and death not only for the people in those properties, but also for the first responders who will often go back to try to implore people to leave”,  she told The Guardian.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Creative Commons License. 

A drone flying over Agridi, Greece, 15 September 2016

Author: Jason Blackeye jeisblack

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