Drone disrupts firefighting efforts yet again in Southern California

In Southern California, drones are getting in the way of firefighters doing their jobs.

On Sunday, a fire broke out in the San Bernardino County city of Yucaipa, and four homes had to be evacuated. As soon as a tanker plane dropping water on the fire spotted a drone in the air, it was immediately grounded, NBC Los Angeles reports. Operations resumed eight minutes later after the drone left the area, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Carol Underhill said, adding, "That may not seem like a huge amount of time, but in a fire emergency, every minute counts."

This latest incident comes less than a month after two other drones were spotted as firefighters battled a blaze in the San Bernardino County mountains, forcing planes to land over fears of collisions. In areas where wildfires are burning, federal authorities put temporary restrictions on air travel, and anyone who is flying a drone without permission and caught will be fined. "I know people are trying to get an eye view of the fire and post the video to YouTube," Underhill said. "But it's not OK because you put pilots' lives in danger and possibly people on the ground."

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