A Canadian “super scooper” aircraft battling the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles was forced to suspend operations Thursday after colliding with a commercial drone in heavy smoke above the blaze, local fire officials said. I no longer get it.
CNN report The specially designed CL-415 firefighting plane is used to scoop up more than 1,500 gallons of seawater and drop it in the event of a fire. Two are leased from LA County to support current operations.
The plane in question, Quebec 1, “has sustained wing damage and remains grounded and out of service,” Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Eric Scott said. saidadded that no injuries were reported.
PACIFIC PALISADES, CA – JANUARY 7: A super scooper dumps seawater onto a hillside as the Palisades Fire rages on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
in statementthe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the plane landed safely, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Malone said. LA Times It was said to have been damaged in Thursday's collision.
“This afternoon we hit a drone, the first one,” Marrone said.
Fire officials are operating two Canadian Airlines CL-415 fire planes and several other aircraft to extinguish fires across Southern California.
“Flying a drone near a wildfire is dangerous and can be life-threatening,” the FAA said in a statement, adding that interfering with firefighting on public land is a federal crime and can be punishable by up to one year. It added that a prison sentence of
Drone operators who obstruct emergency or wildfire response during the temporary flight restrictions will also be subject to civil fines of up to $75,000.
