A civilian drone flying in restricted airspace near the Palisades Fire struck and damaged a “Super Scooper” firefighting plane on Thursday, knocking it out of service, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Photos of the aircraft, one of two Super Scoopers in the area from Quebec, showed it sustained a punctured wing. While the Canadian-made CL-415 landed safely, it’s unclear how long it will remain grounded.
LAFD Public Information Officer Erik Scott said there were no reported injuries and that the incident is being investigated by the FAA.
He added that flying a drone amid firefighting efforts is a federal crime punishable by up to 12 months in prison and a fine of up to $75,000.
The FAA said in a statement that it “treats these violations seriously and immediately considers swift enforcement action for these offenses.”
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told the LA Times the FBI intends to deploy “aerial armor” in the region to prevent drones from flying where firefighters are operating.
The amphibious aircraft had been scooping up 1,500 gallons of water at a time from the ocean, then releasing it on nearby flames in a process Cal Fire spokesperson Chris Thomas told The War Zone takes about five minutes.
Grounding the plane for even a short time directly translates into tens of thousands of gallons of water no longer being used to douse the flames.
The Thursday afternoon incident forced all of the aircraft fighting the fire to stay grounded for half an hour while officials cleared the skies.
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Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation the province will send two additional firefighting aircraft to California.
Two Super Scoopers have been sent to California every fall since 1994 as part of an annual contract.
At least 10 people have been killed in the wildfires and tens of thousands of structures have burned since igniting in the densely populated hills north of Los Angeles earlier this week.