Federal authorities and California police are investigating after someone launched a drone onto the wing of a firefighting plane while it was carrying water to fight fires. Raging forest fires via Los Angeles – causing a “fist-sized hole” and putting it out of service for several days at a critical time.
It happened while the plane, a Quebec 1 Super Scooper, which had taken off from Canada to assist, was working to contain the Palisades fire, an FAA spokesperson 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, California. (Brian Van Der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
At approximately one o'clock in the afternoon on Thursday, a civilian drone flew overhead, according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”. Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Eric Scott.
“The pilots were not aware they had hit the drone,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference on Friday. “It was not until after they landed at Van Nuys Airport that maintenance personnel noticed a fist-sized hole in the leading edge of the wing, just inside the landing light.”
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, and a Fox News Digital spokesperson said interfering with firefighters is a federal crime punishable by up to a year in prison and a $75,000 fine.
Airplanes collect water from the ocean to extinguish the Palisades Fire in the mountains and prevent it from spreading further on Thursday, January 9, 2025. The Palisades Fire had ignited two days earlier and devastated the coastal community in Los Angeles County. (Sandy Hopper/Imagine)
“The FAA takes these violations seriously and is immediately considering taking swift enforcement action for these crimes,” the spokesperson said. “The FAA has not permitted anyone not affiliated with Los Angeles firefighting operations to fly drones at TFRs (Temporary Flight Restrictions).”
No injuries were reported. CalFire said it expects the plane to be back in the air by Monday.
Authorities are urging civilians not to fly drones near wildfires because they could get in the way of low-flying firefighting aircraft and delay emergency responders. Distractions for pilots can be deadly.
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Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills area of Los Angeles, Thursday, January 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The longer the delay, the more the fire will spread.
The fires killed at least 10 people and destroyed more than 10,000 people Homes and businesses. The Palisades Fire, the largest of multiple fires raging in Southern California, has burned more than 20,000 acres and was only 8% contained as of Friday morning.
Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills area of Los Angeles, Thursday, January 9, 2025. (Photo/Ethan Swope)
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Evacuation orders were issued for more than 180,000 residents earlier this week. Some of them have been removed.
Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.
