Senators suggest studying wildfires with drones

Senators for Colorado and Arizona want to see if unmanned aircraft can help fight wildfires.

The Federal Aviation Administration has been working to establish six test sites where small, low-flying drones could have access to national airspace.

This week Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado and Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona introduced an amendment to create two more sites for drones that would focus on wildfire monitoring, mitigation and containment. The proposal was introduced as an amendment to legislation on transportation and housing spending.

Both Colorado and Arizona have had deadly wildfires this season.

Some states and cities have introduced proposals to curb the use of drones, partly over privacy concerns.