TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration has decided against prosecuting a person suspected of flying a drone illegally into firefighters’ airspace during a recent wildfire near Tucson.
That’s because the FAA couldn’t prove who was the pilot.
The decision illustrates the difficulties in proving identities of those who remotely operate unmanned drones.
According to the Arizona Daily Star, Forest Service officials say the presence of at least two drones in the Pusch Ridge area forced firefighters to suspend aerial operations at a crucial stage in the Bighorn Fire in early June on at least two occasions.
Authorities say those suspensions slowed the service’s ability to battle the blaze just as it was getting underway.
The fire started on less than half a square mile (less than a square kilometer) on June 5 but spread to nearly 4 square miles (over 10 square kilomters) by June 8 after two drone incursions.
The blaze burned 187.5 square miles (485.6 square kilometers) in the Catalina Mountains by the time the Forest Service declared it fully contained on July 23.
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