An incident on Sunday has the BC Wildfire Service warning the public about drone use near wildfires.

BC Wildfire Service staff were forced to halt air operations on the Wilson Creek wildfire due to people operating drones above the fire.

Not only was a helicopter grounded, but additional firefighting aircraft working on other fires nearby had to be diverted from their flight paths to avoid the airspace.

That airspace around Little Wilson Lake, about 19 kilometres east of Nakusp, is once again clear for firefighting aircraft to operate and the incident is under investigation.

Use of drones near a wildfire is illegal and there’s a restricted airspace of nine kilometres around the fire, to an altitude of 3,000 feet above ground level.

The presence of drones near an active fire can slow down, or completely shut down, aerial firefighting concerns due to safety concerns.

If a drone collides with firefighting aircraft, the consequences could very well be deadly.

Anyone that’s found to be in violation of these federal regulations can be fined $25,000 or even jailed for up to 18 months.