Canadian firefighting plane in LA grounded after colliding with civilian drone
The incident is under investigation.
A Canadian “Super Scooper” airplane, the Quebec 1, combatting the Palisades fire in Los Angeles Thursday had to be grounded after it collided with a civilian drone flying in a restricted area.
"[On] January 9, 2025, at approximately 1:00 p.m., while flying in the Palisades fire area, Super Scooper Quebec 1 was struck by a civilian drone that was not assigned to the Palisades fire," LA Fire Department Captain Erik Scott posted on X.
"Quebec 1 sustained wing damage and remains grounded and out of service. There were no reported injuries. The incident is under investigation by the FAA. We would like to remind everyone that flying a drone in the midst of firefighting efforts is a federal crime and punishable by up to 12 months in prison or a fine of up to $75,000."
The airplane - a CL-415 - can hold 7,000 litres of water to dump on wildfires and has a reload time of 14 seconds.
Read more: Canadians stepping up to battle the LA fires
The devastating fires engulfing the LA area have killed at least 10 people and destroyed thousands of homes. More than 100,000 people have had to evacuate.
The fires spread fast earlier this week, fueled by a combination of unusually low rainfall and hurricane-force winds.
Header image: Super Scooper fire fighting aircraft loading up with water off the coast of Los Angeles. The Palisades Fire burning homes and businesses near Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles, Jan. 7, 2025 Photo by Ted Soqui/SIPA USA via Reuters.
