Photo: Cindy White

The Lake Okanagan Resort was destroyed by the McDougall Creek fire in 2023.

UPDATE 4 p.m.

A Realtor charged with interfering with British Columbia wildfire-fighting operations in 2023 says he made a mistake by launching a drone off his boat to get a photo of the burned Lake Okanagan Resort.

But Derek Leippi of Kelowna, B.C., says he was unaware firefighters were still at work in the area, 10 days after the McDougall Creek wildfire caused widespread devastation and destroyed hundreds of homes.

Court records say the alleged offence occurred on Aug. 27, 2023, when Leippi says he was on his boat and launched his drone to get a photo of the destroyed hotel.

He says he didn't know that fire suppression activities were still occurring, and he reined in his "pocket drone" as soon as he was instructed by police.

Leippi says he didn't intend to interfere with firefighting efforts, and co-operated by giving a statement afterwards.

He says he hopes to resolve the charge, but he's yet to speak to Crown prosecutors or to retain a lawyer.

"It was a stupid thing to do, you know, to even try to launch a drone … even if it was almost two weeks after the fires," he said in an interview. "I guess they still were trying to snuff out some certain spots that were in the area."

He said he wasn't trying to film any active wildfires or intentionally interfere with wildfire operations.

"It was a mistake for sure, absolutely a mistake," he said.

Leippi is due back in B.C. provincial court in Kelowna on Feb. 11.

The Canadian Press

ORIGINAL 11:15 a.m.

A Kelowna man accused of flying a drone over the McDougall Creek wildfire zone as crews worked to contain the devastating blaze has now been charged.

According to court documents, Derek Leippi was charged under the Wildfire Act on Nov. 28, 2024, with operating equipment, machinery, a vehicle or vessel in a manner that interfered with fire control on Aug. 27, 2023.

While the details of the situation have not been fully explained, drones in wildfire zones have been a continual problem and it was in near that date when one situation was flagged by the B.C. Conservation Office as particularly problematic.

As helicopters refilled their buckets from Okanagan Lake, patrolling Conservation Officers spotted a drone interfering with their operations, according to the Conservation Officer Service.

The drone operator was found by the patrolling officers and the drone was seized.

The post at the time said “charges were pending.”