Flaming drone blamed for stubble fire

The fire burned out about 32 hectares of wheat stubble, some pasture and trees along a creek line and destroyed up to two kilometres of fencing on Bob Harridge's Cooinda Park property, 11.5 kilometres east of Mogumber towards New Norcia, on Tuesday.

It is believed to be the first farm fire started in Australia by a drone or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as the Australian Transport Safety Bureau prefers to call them.

Mr Harridge said he had been told the drone was being flown over a neighbouring property about 1.15pm by two men surveying the area.

"Some witnesses saw it come down already in flames," Mr Harridge, 68, said.

"I didn't know anything about it, I was at home in the kitchen when a neighbour rang and said 'what's going on, there's smoke coming from one of your paddocks?'

"I hitched up the (fire) trailer and headed out there to see what had happened."

Mr Harridge said he was quickly joined by neighbours with farm firefighting units.

"There was no sign of the two men or their drone," he said.

"They must have grabbed what was left of it and gone.

"I had no idea how the fire started but a neighbour found bits of it in the paddock.

"It was 300 to 400 metres from where it should have been."

An estimated 20 farm firefighting units and fire trucks and volunteers from Mogumber-Gillingarra, New Norcia and Calingiri bush fire brigades responded on a 38o day.

"When there's a fire at this time of year they're right on to it," Mr Harridge said.

"We were lucky it was the Tuesday, not the Wednesday, because there was no wind on Tuesday, but it would have been a different story on the Wednesday with the gusty wind behind it."

Mr Harridge said the men who were operating the drone had contacted his insurance agent David Stribley of Elders, Moora, and apologised.

Mr Stribley said it was the first time he had heard of a UAV starting a fire on a farm.

"I know there's been sports people who have been injured by them, but this is the first time I've heard of anything like this," he said.

"They are considered an aircraft, so how are they affected by fire bans and harvest bans?

"Can you still fly them in high fire-danger periods?

"They never get mentioned in relation to fire bans or harvest bans.

"In light of what happened here, and the fact they are becoming more widely used on farms, I think the authorities might have to have a good look at it."

In 2014 the operator of a drone filming the Geraldton Endure Batavia triathlon claimed radio interference caused it to crash into competitor Raija Ogden, who sustained cuts to the head.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) fined the operator $1700 for flying the drone within 30 metres of people.

Similarly, electronic interference from mobile phones and broadcast equipment was blamed for operators losing control of a wayward drone more than a metre wide which had been filming a World Cup Cricket final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2015.

The drone flew off from the MCG and crashed on a median strip in the centre of a busy city street about 500m away.

In November, a $15,000 drone being sent through the mail in the Northern Territory burst into flames at a postal delivery warehouse in the Darwin suburb of Winnellie.

Quick action by postal workers put out the fire.

The lithium battery which powered the drone was in the package but was not connected, fire authorities said.

CASA requires anyone piloting a drone weighing more than two kilograms for commercial purposes to hold a remote pilot licence, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) pointed out.

"Third party liability insurance cover is not compulsory for commercial or recreational pilots," said ICA general manager of communications and media relations Campbell Fuller.

"Insurance that covers damage a drone may cause to people or property is widely available, and most commercial drone pilots and companies have public liability cover of at least $20 million," Mr Fuller said.

"If a commercial drone pilot or the operator employing them chooses not to take out insurance, they risk being held financially liable for any injuries or damage the drone may cause.

"Most business insurance policies are unlikely to cover third party losses due to drone activity.

"The Insurance Council of Australia suggests all businesses using drones ensure that appropriate third party liability insurance for commercial drone use is in place.

"Insurance brokers may be able to assist in finding this cover," he said.