EUREKA, Utah — A drone pilot was cited by law enforcement after flying in restricted airspace near the Iron Fire in Juab and Utah counties.
The Utah County Sheriff's Office detected the drone at 2 p.m. Thursday in the southwest corner of the county. Deputies later located the pilot as they were operating the drone and issued a citation.
According to Utah County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Ray Ormond, the drone was detected using recently acquired equipment for safety purposes.
"This is the first time we've been able to track down and locate a pilot in the process of doing this and issue him a citation," said Ormond. "At the minimum would be a Class B misdemeanor, but it does go all the way up into a felony range, kind of depending on the totality of that incident."
The incident comes after officials have warned the public to avoid flying drones in restricted spaces near wildfires, as they interfere with crews working to fight the flames that have burned over 140,000 acres in Utah this season.
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Air operations battling the Iron Fire were grounded earlier this week due to a drone incursion.
Under Utah law, drone violations are punishable by fines and potential imprisonment.
"This is something that people need to take serious," said Ormond. "We want these air crews to be safe, to be able to do their job unhindered, and honestly to be able to stop and put this fire out."
