LA wildfires disaster as firefighting plane crashes into drone while battling blaze

A plane tackling the Los Angeles fires which is capable of scooping up more than 1,500 gallons of sea water at a time has been grounded after hitting an illegal drone

A plane tackling dousing the raging fires in Los Angeles has collided with an illegal drone.

The Canada ‘Super Scooper’ aircraft was hit by the drone flying in a restricted airspace. The plane is capable of lifting up more than 1,500 gallons of sea water at a time to drop on fires. The fires have burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures since Tuesday, when they first began popping up around a densely populated, 25-mile expanse north of downtown Los Angeles. No cause has been identified for the largest fires.

And now the efforts of fire fighters have been made harder after the plane, Quebec 1, “sustained wing damage and remains grounded and out of service,” said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott. Fortunately there were no injuries.

He wrote on X: “Today, January 9, 2025, at approximately 1:00 p.m., while flying in the #PalisadesFire area, #SuperScooper Quebec 1 was struck by a civilian drone that was not assigned to the Palisades fire. 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.”

It is understood that it was one of two of these types of planes which is being used in the area to put out the fires. An image of the plane shows the damage with a hole in one of its wings.

The midair collision is now under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration, which said the firefighting aircraft landed safely. So far 10 people have been killed by the fires which have obliterated whole neighborhoods in the United States’ second biggest city.

The level of devastation is jarring even in a state that has grown used to massive wildfires. Dozens of blocks of scenic Pacific Palisades were flattened to smoldering rubble. In neighboring Malibu, blackened palm strands were all that was left above debris where oceanfront homes once stood.

Metropolitan LA and its 13 million residents woke up Friday to yet another day of fire-stoking winds and the threat of new flareups. But the gusts were expected to diminish by evening and already have died down from earlier in the week, when hurricane-force winds blew embers that ignited hillsides.

That could give firefighters a chance to make more progress, but meteorologist Rich Thompson warned the break could be short-lived. "We're looking for a little respite on Friday and Saturday from the Santa Ana winds but then they're going to pick up again Sunday through most of next week," he said Thursday evening.