'I would like for this to be a cautionary tale about dog ownership and fire danger'
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - A pilot whose drone crashed and sparked a brush fire after an unleashed dog jumped on him Tuesday calls the incident "a cautionary tale about dog ownership and fire danger this time of year."
Video from the drone shows the dogs running toward the drone operator.
"This guy walks by with two dogs and one of them jumps on me knocking the transmitter out of my hands," Cameron Austin-Connolly wrote on Facebook.
The drone then crashes into the field.
Almost immediately, you can hear a crackling sound. Oranges flames then creep through the grass in front of the drone.
WATCH | Video of drone crash that sparked grass fire
"My drone crashes and when I go to look for it I saw smoke and flames so I called 911," Austin-Connolly wrote. "Springfield FD quickly showed up and put out the flames. They even returned my drone and gopro. The Fire Marshall said that was their first drone fire."
Eugene Springfield Fire got the call at 5:25 p.m.
The first engine arrived at the field near 28th Street and Marcola Road within 5 minutes.
Firefighters cleared the scene in less than an hour.
Investigators don't know the exact cause but suspect some aspect of the drone - a motor, a rotor or perhaps the battery - ignited the grass.
Austin-Connolly said the incident illustrates the fire danger this summer.
"If nothing else I would like for this to be a cautionary tale about dog ownership and fire danger this time of year," he said. "I know I'm going to be a lot more careful."
