Cajon Pass, CA —For the last several brushfires that plagued this severely water parched area, claims were made that drone sightings delayed firefighting efforts. Like so many reports by conventional pilots there’s never a shred of independent evidence such as videos, photos or the drones themselves. The overblown and sensational claims of delayed response threatening lives and property are beyond outrageous. Let me say that everyone is aware that conventional firefighting aircraft must fly well below the minimum airspace altitude.   Camera drones could conceivably collide with conventional aircraft within nearby airspace.   That could be dangerous.   Drone operators don’t want their drones destroyed, nor do they want their drones to be responsible for any kind of mishap.   Drone technology is evolving faster than any wildfire and drones will soon replace conventional aircraft for these sometimes-risky firefighting missions. Are pilots making up the...

Los Angeles, CA —Last week’s fire at the downtown Da Vinci Apartments under construction seemed to me to be an obvious case of arson.  Motives in significant arson cases are nearly always financial.  The fact that the fire engulfed the entire, well over one million square feet evenly and suddenly indicates, at least to me a very large amount of accelerant like gasoline or paint thinner was used. Arsonists often mistakenly believe that fires will consume all the evidence of their crime.  The reality is gravity preserves arson evidence.  The temperatures of fires are the coolest on the bottom of structures conserving precious clues. Investigators are being understandably tight lipped about the things they know.  I also suspect that because the vast amount of real estate involved this crime involved multiple arsonists. In this case the first arsonist that can get to a lawyer, contact authorities and snitch on everyone else wins!  With...

Photo courtesy of KNBC-TV News Los Angeles, CA —The City of Angeles was the scene of an overnight structure fire larger than I have ever seen before.  Reportedly over 250 firefighters battled the firestorm since it was reported at 1:20 AM.  The massive blaze was adjacent to the Harbor #110 Freeway at the 900 block of Fremont Avenue.  Additionally two nearby commercial high-rise buildings were severely damaged by heat, smoke, hundreds of broken windows and flooding from the sprinkler systems.  Broken glass and debris could be found all over the neighborhood.   By mid-morning the fire was nearly out but visibly smoldering.  I sent my drone up from the opposite side of the Harbor Freeway, which apparently was the only vantage point to see the ruins.  The structure itself, which incidentally is located adjacent to a fire station, was to become the Da Vinci Apartments .  At least one million square feet of prime property...