As a wildfire tore through a valley in Spokane County, Wash., on Monday, devouring thousands of acres and barreling toward homes, officials deployed planes to fight the flames from the sky.
But a drone was flying near the blaze, violating airspace restrictions and posing a hazard to firefighting aircraft. Officials had to ground flights for nearly two hours.
The delay put homes in greater jeopardy, they said, and prevented the dropping of thousands of gallons of water and retardant that could have contained some of the fire’s growth.
“We’re here trying to help this community in their time of need — and it’s a real time of need,” said Tom Stokesberry III, a spokesman for the team made up of federal, state and local agencies that is battling the fire. “When we’re hampered by a drone flying over the fire, that really frustrates us.”
Fire officials elsewhere are expressing similar concerns. More people are using drones to video a fire from above, blocking or slowing firefighters’ efforts to save lives and property, and putting pilots’ lives at risk.
In Utah in late June, officials fighting the Cottonwood fire — then the largest wildfire in the state — were forced to ground planes for about an hour because of a drone sighting.
Less than three weeks later, planes fighting a fire in southwestern Colorado were grounded for about two hours after a drone flew in a restricted zone there.
Drones have been spotted above the fires in Spokane County nearly 40 times since those fires began, Mr. Stokesberry said.
Last year, there were more than 200 drone sightings above wildfires in the nation, according to U.S. Forest Service records, though nearly all occurred during the Los Angeles wildfires.
There were 125 over the previous seven years combined.
Drones force officials to ground planes in many cases because the chance of a collision is high: Like drones, firefighting planes fly low to the ground, dropping water and chemicals.
Last year, a drone collided with a firefighting plane above the Palisades fire in Los Angeles, threatening the pilot’s life and removing the plane from service for months, Mr. Stokesberry said.
Even a small drone can cause a firefighting helicopter to lose control, said Linnea Edmeier, a spokeswoman for Cal Fire, California’s state firefighting agency.
Nowhere is the problem worse than in urban areas, officials said, like Spokane County, where three fires have burned more than 700 structures. Drone incursions near wildfires in the county make up nearly half of all incidents reported to the U.S. Forest Service this year.
Most drones over wildfires are flown by hobbyists, in pursuit of photos and videos, who may not know about regulations, officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration often limits the airspace around wildfires, and entering a restricted zone with a drone is a federal crime, punishable by up to two years in prison and as much as $175,000 in civil and criminal fines. Several states also enforce their own penalties.
Before-and-after videos of streets and homes turned to ash often rack up views on social media. Some pilots may believe they are making a positive contribution, Ms. Edmeier said. In comment sections, people have asked drone users to survey the damage where their friends or family live.
William Campbell, 39, who runs a drone videography business in Spokane, has shared videos advising people on social media not to fly their aircraft over wildfires. When he first purchased a drone five years ago, Mr. Campbell said, he “flew whenever, anywhere, and didn’t know the rules.”
“That’s most drone pilots,” he added.
Some drone operators are homeowners seeking more information that they say can help protect them and others.
Matthew Anderson, 30, used his drone to decide whether to evacuate his home, located 10 to 15 miles from the fire in north Spokane. A licensed drone pilot and professional videographer, he flew his drone far from the blaze, in a zone that was legal, he said, before flight restrictions were in place.
“I wanted to see how far away this thing actually is, and if I need to pack up my stuff and go,” Mr. Anderson said.
But others whose drones have disrupted firefighting efforts were the talk of the area this week. In northwest Spokane County, Anna Michielli, 38, could see the fire advancing toward her home on Sunday, where the air was already laden with smoke, she said.
As she rushed to evacuate dozens of farm animals from her property, planes spraying plumes of fire retardant from above were delayed by a drone.
Drones are all that Ms. Michielli has heard about from her neighbors, she said. At least one neighbor has lost their house.
The Spokane County sheriff, John Nowels, said this week that his office had referred several cases involving drone operators to the F.A.A.
Meanwhile, an F.B.I. task force that includes local officials has begun using counterdrone technology to stop violators. That could involve bringing down drones with an electric pulse, Mr. Stokesberry said.
Mr. Nowels expressed little patience for more disruptions.
“We are done playing games with this,” he said.
Anna Griffin contributed reporting.
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