A drone’s collision with a water-dropping aircraft fighting the Palisades fire in Los Angeles caused the temporary grounding of all aircraft working that fire and took out one of just the two amphibous planes capable of repeatedly scooping 1,600 gallons of water from the ocean and delivering it onto nearby flames, Cal Fire told The War Zone.
A Canadair CL-415 Super Scooper turboprop plane smashed into a drone around 10 a.m. local time, Cal Fire spokesman Chris Thomas told The War Zone.
The combination of the Super Scooper being put out of service along with the other firefighting aircraft being temporarily ground was a blow to crews trying to put out the massive fire, one of several blazing across the Los Angeles area. Thousands of homes have been destroyed in the neighborhood located between Malibu and Santa Monica.
“This is creating a huge danger,” said Thomas. “This is an unprecedented fire. When we ground all aircraft, it could be anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour. You know how far a fire can spread in half an hour.”
The Super Scoopers have been making dozens of flights a day, with multiple drops on each flight, meaning Cal Fire loses the ability to drop tens of thousands of gallons of badly needed water until the damaged aircraft is repaired. The Super Scoopers fly over the fire, release their water, and then head over to the ocean to refill, a process that takes about five minutes. This is a unique capability, at least for Cal Fire, as fixed-wing firefighting aircraft of similar size or larger need to land at an airport to refill and can’t execute continuous drops on a single sortie to beat back a raging fire line.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 8: A Firefighter fights the flames from the Palisades Fire while it burns homes at Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in Malibu, California. The fast-moving wildfire it grow to more than 2900-acres and is threatening homes in the coastal neighborhood amid intense Santa Ana Winds and dry conditions in Southern California. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images) Apu Gomes
The drone was flying despite a Temporary Flight Restriction TFR imposed by the FAA over the area from Jan. 9 to Jan. 23 to prevent any aircraft, manned or drone, from interfering with firefighting efforts. The drone was being flown by a photographer taking video of the flames, the LA Times reported.
FAA
“It’s a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands,” the FAA said in a statement. “Additionally, the FAA can impose a civil penalty of up to $75,000 against any drone pilot who interferes with wildfire suppression, law enforcement or emergency response operations when temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) are in place. The FAA treats these violations seriously and immediately considers swift enforcement action for these offenses. The FAA has not authorized anyone unaffiliated with the Los Angeles firefighting operations to fly drones in the TFRs.”
With winds calming down a bit, air attack is well underway, day and night. More fires have popped up in recent hours that threaten suburban areas. So having every possible asset working to the maximum of its ability is critical. Sadly, that won’t be the case for one of the Super Scoopers.
So, please people leave your drones at home during the massive, catastrophic fire that thousands are putting their lives on the line trying to contain.
Update 12:35 AM Eastern –
An image emerged of the hole caused by the drone strike.
PHOTO: Firefighting aircraft damaged after colliding with drone over the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California.
The plane landed safety and is grounded because of the damage. Officials are investigating. pic.twitter.com/UDAjalGyxR
— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) January 10, 2025
Flight tracking data shows the numerous passes the aircraft made over the fire.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com