Two unauthorized drones interfered with aerial firefighting operations last week as crews battled a wildfire in Garland County, Arkansas. Regine Skelton of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division told KARK-TV that the drones limited the agency’s air response.
The department issued similar guidance in August, warning that unauthorized drones can ground firefighting aircraft, slow emergency response and create airspace hazards. No details have been released about the drones, their operators or how long the latest interruptions lasted.
Drone interference has also affected wildfire operations elsewhere in the U.S. The Interior Department recorded 53 unauthorized drone incursions during wildfires in 2025, 44 of which directly interfered with or threatened aerial firefighting operations. As of May, the agency had documented four additional incursions in 2026.
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