(Bloomberg) — California firefighters could knock drones out of the sky when they endanger aircraft making low-altitude runs to drop water on wildfires, under a bill lawmakers proposed.
The legislation comes after unmanned vehicles forced planes and helicopters out of the sky during a July 17 blaze that trapped people inside their cars on Interstate 15 in the desert northeast of Los Angeles and during a late June wildfire that scorched 31,000 acres.
The bills would shield firefighters from having to pay for drones that they down, intentionally or accidentally, as well as expand criminal penalties and allow prison terms as long as five years for pilots who hinder firefighters on federal property. State law already makes it a misdemeanor to impede firefighting.
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