(NewsNation) — Three people have been arrested as unauthorized drone flights have doubled in southern California as firefighters work to contain multiple wildfires that have devastated the LA area.
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna announced Monday that three people were arrested for two drone incidents during a briefing on the fires.
The use of unauthorized drones is hindering the ability of firefighters trying to contain the fires that have burned more than 40,000 acres, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and resulted in 24 confirmed deaths.
On Friday, firefighting aircraft trying to contain the Palisades wildfire were forced to leave the area because of unauthorized drones in the air.
In an earlier incident Thursday, a Super Scooper aircraft used to drop large quantities of water on fires was damaged after a collision with a small drone. The incident left a hole in the wing and grounded the plane until it could be fixed.
The FBI is investigating the incident, saying the drone violated temporary airspace restrictions the FAA instituted during the fires.
California authorities say there have been at least 40 incidents in which unauthorized drones have forced firefighting aircraft to pause operations, putting more lives at risk as the fires continue to spread and firefighters on the ground are left without air support.
