Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Drone Pilot Who Crashed into CL-415 Waterbomber Pleads Guilty
Pilot " is “deeply remorseful for his mistake”
Canadair CL-415 aerial firefighter
Super Scoopers like this Canadair CL-415 proved extremely helpful during the Los Angeles fires. © AIN archives

While firefighters battled multiple wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area in January, unauthorized drone activity in the region surged, leading to increased law enforcement.

Within the first week of the outbreak of the fires, Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief Robert Harris told reporters that officials had already detected four dozen privately-owned drones flying over the fires.  At least three people were arrested as a result, police officials said at the time.