Federal aviation authorities on Thursday ordered media helicopters to stay away from an area around Big Bear where authorities were intensifying their search for a former LAPD officer wanted in connection with a deadly shooting spree.

Earlier Thursday, law enforcement authorities had expressed concern that helicopter TV cameras were compromising officer safety by showing police as they combed the snow-covered mountains where Christopher Dorner, 33, is believed to have fled.

The temporary flight restriction was ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration and covered an area spanning three nautical miles on the surface to an elevation of 3,000 feet, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the agency in Los Angeles.

PHOTOS: Manhunt for ex-LAPD officer

A pickup truck that was found burning Thursday was linked to Dorner, who allegedly has killed three people and wounded two others. Police found fresh tracks in the snow in the area Thursday afternoon as they hunted for the fugitive.

The former Los Angeles Police Department officer is suspected of shooting three officers, killing one, Thursday morning in Riverside County.

Dorner also is suspected of killing a couple on Sunday in Orange County, where they were found shot in a car. One of the victims was the daughter of a former LAPD captain named in an online manifesto that police say was posted by Dorner.

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— Robert J. Lopez

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