Alarmed by the growing number of hobbyists sending drones into the California sky, state lawmakers are working on a series of proposals that would bar the devices from being flown over wildfires, prisons, schools and homes.
The Consumer Electronics Assn. recently estimated that the sale of drones in the U.S. will approach 700,000 in 2015, up from 400,000 last year.
State fire officials recently told legislators that private drones pose a significant danger to air crews and to firefighters on the ground. Hobbyists have already put aircraft in harm’s way during California wildfires a dozen times this year, the officials said.