Multiple night-flying helicopters were grounded early Saturday morning as they were attempting to fight the growing Maria fire in Ventura County, California, due to illegal drones. Air operations were stopped for 45 minutes around 3:00 a.m. and for an additional hour at 4 a.m. after firefighters spotted two drones apparently trying to take a photo or video of the flames. The Los Angeles Times reports that helicopters can significantly help hinder the spread of fires, as flames can grow exponentially over the course of just 20 minutes. Additionally, if drones were to impact the helicopters, they could cause serious damage. “A bird collision with a plane can cause a plane to go down,” Jessica Gardetto, a spokesperson for the National Interagency Fire Center, told the Times. “These are hard plastic items.” As of Saturday morning, the Maria fire had spread to over 10,000 acres and was 20 percent contained, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
