Sonora, CA – Officials report a drone interfered with aerial firefighting efforts assigned to the Quarter Fire, burning near Cedar Ridge.
As reported last evening, the wildfire, which has been burning in a difficult-to-access area since the weekend, reached 75 percent containment. This morning’s data indicates 75 percent containment and better perimeter mapping has reduced the involved acreage size from 15 acres to ten.
Stanislaus National Forest officials say that an unauthorized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flew over the fire yesterday, which necessitates the grounding of all aerial support for safety reasons. When these instances occur, they can prolong firefighting operations and even lead to wildfires becoming larger when aircraft are not able to drop fire retardant and water, monitor wildfires from above, or provide tactical information to firefighters.
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