Texas Wildfire Incident Sparks Concern Over Drone Safety

In a recent brush with danger, a helicopter battling the Barth Fire in Caldwell County came perilously close to a drone. This alarming near-miss prompted an urgent plea from the Texas A&M Forest Service.

On Tuesday, officials revealed that while the helicopter was depositing water over the 150-acre Wildfire last Friday, it narrowly avoided a collision with a drone that ventured alarmingly close.

Jared Karns, the State Aviation Manager of the Texas A&M Forest Service, expressed grave concerns over the incident.

“Pilots have no way to detect a drone or know there is one present in the airspace until they see it,” he stated, emphasizing the vital role of aircraft in firefighting efforts. He added, “Suppression aircraft can respond to wildfires quickly… but they have to be able to fly in a safe environment.”

The Forest Service warned of the serious dangers that drones pose. When these unmanned devices are in the proximity of firefighting operations, they…