Photo: Contributed

Two people who have drone permits with Transport Canada have been spoken to by Oliver RCMP regarding an incident that halted aerial wildfire support on Aug. 16.

According to Sgt. Gervais, the two people were not responsible for flying the drone that caused issues for B.C. Wildfire Service crews and grounded water bombers for several hours.

“I also spoke with another local man who has a drone, but he was also not responsible," Gervais said Monday.

There are few leads in the case, and police are looking for tips from the public.

Gervais said the investigation remains open and RCMP are working with Transport Canada.

Although operators with Transport Canada licences to fly drones or unmanned aerial vehicles have been spoken to regarding the incident, there is the possibility there were unlicensed operators in the fire area.

All wildfires are flight-restricted under Canadian Air Regulations, and the operation of any aircraft not related to fire suppression efforts is illegal.

Drones pose a significant safety risk to crews, especially when low-flying firefighting aircraft are present.