Canadian 'Super Scooper' Plane Grounded After Hitting Civilian Drone Over LA Wildfires

Los Angeles authorities have vowed to prosecute illegal drone operators after a civilian drone collided with a Canadian CL-415 firefighting plane combating the Palisades Fire, causing damage that grounded the aircraft and temporarily halted all aerial firefighting operations. CNN reports: The specifically designed CL-415 firefighting planes are used to scoop up more than 1,500 gallons of ocean water to drop on active fires. The plane in question, Quebec 1, 'sustained wing damage and remains grounded and out of service,' Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott said, adding that there were no reported injuries. The damaged plane will be prioritized for repair and should be back up flying by Monday, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said Friday. The collision caused the temporary grounding of all aircraft responding to the Palisades Fire, The War Zone reported, citing Cal Fire. It was one of the two such planes deployed to the site, The War Zone said. 'You will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and you will be punished to the full extent of the law,' said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman in a statement.

Marrone added that, 'Our federal partners behind the scenes are going to be implementing procedures to be able to follow drones in our two large fire areas, and they will be able to identify who the operator of that drone is. 'The most important thing to know is that if you fly a drone at one of these brush fires, all aerial operations will be shut down, and we certainly don't want to have that happen.'

The FAA underscored late Thursday that it 'has not authorized anyone unaffiliated with the Los Angeles firefighting operations to fly drones' in restricted airspace put in place over the wildfires. 'The FAA treats these violations seriously and immediately considers swift enforcement action for these offenses,' the agency said.

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