Vicinity of a wildfire

[EdKrimmer]

First off, I have no intention of even thinking about possibly maybe fly my Mini in any of the Southern CA firezones. With that said - I wanted to get some thoughts on what a safe permitted distance would be just to take it up for a better photographic view than the Sprouts parking lot. Yes, I'd get closer than I am at home but as stated above I wouldn't expect that I would be anywhere near a prohibited zone. I guess that brings up another question - in addition to the obvious fire zone are there temporary no-fly areas typically setup for example on the route "real" aircraft would be using to bring in supplies, water, etc.?

Just looking for thoughts, knowledge and of course sound advice.
Thanks

 

[Starz]

Recently had a large fire in the Tucson area. One drone pilot caught and one more that they couldn’t find. The TFR established by the FAA was expanded once after the initial start of the no fly zone to allow for the increasing size of the fire. As I remember, a total of 140 square miles.
I did not see any specific area delineated for entry or exit route for the aircraft operating in the zone, and I saw several routes they used.
Just use some common sense and whatever maps are available.

 

[Mavic Mac]

You can check TFRs HERE

 

[Gringorio]

You can check TFRs HERE

Yeah, as Mac says, check the TFRs. I wanted to fly above my house to get a better view of the Bighorn fire near Tucson which was miles away. When I checked for flight restrictions my whole area was closed even though tankers and helos were on the other side of the mountain. Fly safe!

 

[Vic Moss]

If you're not sure, DON'T FLY!

Most Wildfire TFRs are massive, much larger than people think. The FAA is publishing an article about TFRs soon. That will help alleviate many issues like this. But if anyone flies in a TFR (like the Bighorn Fire), they face a $20,000 fine. And if they caught the one who flew in Tucson, I hope he gets fined that. We need a couple of "public hangings" of people who do incredibly stupid stuff like that. It will help get the word out that the FAA isn't fooling around.

 

[DanaMc]

I understand the intrigue to want a great shot of a wildfire. TFR’s aside, the risks to your drone are multiplied exponentially not to mention you couldn’t get close enough with just 20-25 min flight time to get any decent shots. It just doesn’t make sense. Look at the video you see on TV with high power cameras & lens. They’re from quite a distance away for lots of reasons.

 

[EdKrimmer]

I understand the intrigue to want a great shot of a wildfire. TFR’s aside, the risks to your drone are multiplied exponentially not to mention you couldn’t get close enough with just 20-25 min flight time to get any decent shots. It just doesn’t make sense. Look at the video you see on TV with high power cameras & lens. They’re from quite a distance away for lots of reasons.

Actually I'm not looking for a "great shot" just the different perspective the drone can provide. But I do take your point.

 

[Starz]

Recently had a large fire in the Tucson area. One drone pilot caught and one more that they couldn’t find. The TFR established by the FAA was expanded once after the initial start of the no fly zone to allow for the increasing size of the fire. As I remember, a total of 140 square miles.
I did not see any specific area delineated for entry or exit route for the aircraft operating in the zone, and I saw several routes they used.
Just use some common sense and whatever maps are available.

Update. The one pilot they caught got off with just a warning. FAA claimed they could not prove he was the pilot.