Federal authorities and California police are investigating after someone flew a drone into the wing of a firefighting plane carrying water to fight the blaze. raging forest fires over Los Angeles – causing a “fist-sized hole” and putting it out of service for days at a crucial time.
It happened as the plane, a Quebec 1 Super Scooper flown in from Canada to help, was trying to contain the Palisades fire, a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration told Fox News Digital.
It was one of only two Super Scooper aircraft in use in Southern California at the time.
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A Super Scooper plane drops water on the Palisades fire on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, CA. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Around 1 p.m. on Thursday, a civilian drone flew into her wing, it said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott.
“The pilots were unaware that they had hit the drone,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference Friday. “It wasn’t until they landed at Van Nuys Airport that maintenance personnel noticed that there was a fist-sized hole in the leading edge of the wing, inside the landing light.”
The FAA is investigating, and a spokesperson told Fox News Digital that obstructing firefighters is a federal crime punishable by up to a year in prison and a $75,000 fine.
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Airplanes collect water from the ocean to extinguish the Palisades Fire that has burned in the mountains, preventing it from spreading further Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. The Palisades Fire burned two days earlier and destroyed a coastal community in Los Angeles County. (Sandy Hooper/Imagn)
“The FAA takes these violations seriously and is immediately considering taking prompt action for these violations,” the spokesman said. “The FAA has not authorized anyone not associated with Los Angeles fire operations to operate drones in TFRs (temporary flight restrictions).”
There are no reports of injuries. CalFire said it expects the plane should be back in the air by Monday.
Authorities are urging civilians not to fly drones near wildfires because they can get in the way of low-flying firefighting aircraft and delay emergency response. Pilot distractions can be deadly.
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Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The longer the delay, the more the fire can spread.
The fires killed at least 10 people and destroyed more than 10,000 homes and businesses. The Palisades Fire, the largest of multiple wildfires raging in Southern California, has burned more than 20,000 acres and was only 8% contained Friday morning.
Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Photo/Ethan Swope)
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Earlier this week, evacuation orders were issued for more than 180,000 residents. Some are raised.
Greg Norman of Fox News contributed to this report.
