A man was charged with interfering with fire control by operation of equipment after flying a drone near the Lake Okanagan Resort 10 days after it burned in the McDougall Creek Wildfire.

Derek Leippi was charged with the offence on Nov. 28, 2024, more than a year after he boated across Okanagan Lake and used his drone to photograph the remains of the resort on August 27, 2023. 

The wildfire, now named the McDougall Creek Wildfire, sparked on August 16. The blaze then rapidly spread throughout the Central Okanagan, scorching the historic resort in its path.

Leippi spoke with Capital News over the phone on Jan. 22, 2025, one day after his first appearance in Kelowna court for the charge of interfering with fire control by operation of equipment.

"There were other boats in the area and I didn't see any helicopters in the sky," said Leippi. "It wasn't like I was filming a blaze or anything." 

He said that to his knowledge, the Lake Okanagan Resort was no longer actively burning. Leippi said he did not intend to interfere with fire crews.

He added when a RCMP boat approached him and he heard a helicopter, he immediately landed his drone, spoke with the officers and provided a statement. 

"I didn't try to hide anything," said Leippi.

The, saying Leippi's drone was interfering with a helicopter that was actively bucketing water from the lake. 

Black Press has reached out to the Conservation Officer Service for more information. 

"The drone operator was identified by Conservation Officers, and the drone was seized. Charges are pending against one individual," read the post from Aug. 28, 2023. 

According to the Conservation Office Service, the maximum penalty for interfering with fire control is a fine not exceeding $100,000, imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.