Wildfire Fighting Aircraft nearly collides with Drone

On Friday, August 18th, a helicopter delivering water to the 150-acre Barth Fire in Caldwell County almost collided with a drone that came within feet of the aircraft. Drones are a serious safety hazard for both the aviation resources as well as the firefighters on the ground and can cause a serious or fatal accident if they collide with firefighting aircraft.
Aerial Firefighting may be suspended until the drone leaves the area, which may result in a larger wildfire. Firefighting aircraft including leadplanes, helicopters and airtankers fly as low as 150 feet above the ground, which is the same altitude that many hobbyist drones fly.
At the request of Texas A&M Forest Service, the Federal Aviation Administration implements Temporary Flight Restrictions around wildfire areas. All aircraft including drones are prohibited from flying in these restricted areas.
Persistent triple digit temperatures and dry conditions result in wildfire danger for much of the State.
Since July, the agency has utilized more than 60 aviation resources to respond to wildfires. These aircraft have responded to countless wildfires dropping 502-503 gallons of retardant and more than 3.2 million gallons of water to slow fire spread to assist ground crews and protect homes as well as other critical infrastructure.