Drones Delayed Firefighters on Freeway

Firefighting planes on their way to battle a wildfire that spread to a Southern California freeway were delayed by five drones buzzing around the area. Firefighters were forced to remain grounded an extra 26 minutes out of fear they would collide with the drones near the Cajon Pass along Interstate 15. “There’s an area not too far from where the fire started that’s a pretty popular area for folks to come out and essentially play with their drones,” U.S. Forest Service spokesman Lee Beyer said. It was the fourth time in four weeks that drones interfered with firefighting efforts in Southern California. Friday’s fire—which motorists escaped by leaving their cars behind—had grown to 3,500 actress and was 5 percent contained early Saturday.