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Official: civilian presence in evacuated areas prevented drone hotspot detection last night
Summary
Spokane County official said human activity inside level 3 areas prevented aerial drone missions to detect hot spots, reducing firefighters' ability to cool dangerous areas at night.
A Spokane County official said aerial drone surveillance to detect hotspots at night was curtailed because there was too much human activity inside level 3 evacuation zones.
"Our firefighters in those damaged areas at night use aerial drone surveillance to detect hot spots. And I will tell you there is enough human activity... that last night, they could not fly those missions because there is too much human activity producing hot spots," the official said, urging people to stay out of those areas so responders can do their work.
Officials said civilian presence not only endangers those people but also prevents firefighters from working effectively to reduce fire risk. The official urged compliance with evacuation orders and asked residents to help protect responders' ability to operate safely.
