Because it's 2018, the B.C. government has had to issue a warning asking residents and tourists not to fly drones near wildfires, more than half a dozen of which are actively burning across southern British Columbia today (July 23).

"BC Wildfire Service staff were forced to temporarily halt air operations on the Wilson Creek wildfire on Sunday, July 22, 2018, due to people operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or 'drones') above the fire," reads a statement issued by the B.C. ministry of forests, lands, natural resource operations and rural development.

"A helicopter that was supporting ground crews was grounded," it continues. "Additional firefighting aircraft working on other fires in the area had to be diverted from their flight paths to avoid the airspace around Little Wilson Lake area, which is about 19 kilometres east of Nakusp."

As previously reported by the Straight, a spate of lightning strikes combined with hot and dry conditions has resulted in a number of large wildfires that crews are working to contain across the southern half of the province this week.

Wildfire operations often involve large airplanes and helicopters. If one of those aircrafts were to collide with a drone, it could cause a crash, down the vehicle, and kill emergency responders on board.

"The presence of drones near an active wildfire can slow down, or completely shut down, aerial firefighting efforts, due to safety concerns," states the government's July 23 release. "If a drone collides with firefighting aircraft, the consequences could be deadly.

"The use of drones near a wildfire is illegal," it continues. "The restricted airspace includes a radius of five nautical miles around the fire, and to an altitude of 3,000 feet above ground level.

Today's warning is far from the first time the government has had to ask people to stop flying hobby aircrafts in areas where crews are working to extinguish large fires. The pleas for videographers to refrain from endangering emergency responders have become an annual event, coming each year with the summer's wildfire season.

Anyone caught flying a drone near a wildfire can expect the footage they were after to cost them a lot of money.

"Under federal regulations, anyone caught operating a drone within an active wildfire could be fined $25,000, or jailed for up to 18 months," the release adds.

https://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo/status/1021520492405055488

"The use of UAVs or drones near or on a wildfire is also considered to be 'interference,' as defined in Section 56 of the provincial Wildfire Act. Operators are subject to a violation ticket fine of $1,150. If convicted, the operator could be fined up to $100,000 and/or face imprisonment of over a year."

In addition to a ban on drones in areas affected by wildfires, campfires are also forbidden across southern B.C., where the fire danger rating remains either "high" or "extreme", depending on the specific location.

The campfire ban is expected to last through the rest of the summer.