Quebec plane fighting L.A. fires grounded after being struck by drone
CBC
A Quebec water bomber fighting the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles has been grounded after it collided with a drone flying in restricted airspace, officials said.
The collision left the plane, known as Quebec 1, with a "sizable hole in its wing," said Christopher Thomas, a spokesperson with the California state firefighting agency, Cal Fire.
"Fortunately, they landed the plane without incident," Thomas said in an interview Friday.
The incident downed all aircraft fighting the fire for nearly half an hour on Thursday while officials made sure the skies were clear, he said.
"We all know how fast a fire can travel in half an hour. So this is a seriously dangerous situation because now that fire is able to go a little more unchecked," he said.
"This makes me very angry. It is extremely irresponsible and people could have been killed."
The Los Angeles Fire Department released photos of the plane, including one showing the damage. It said the plane was struck by "a civilian drone."
The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation, and noted in a statement that it had not authorized anyone unaffiliated with firefighting operations to fly drones in the area.
"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."
Two Quebec planes, operated by the firefighting agency SOPFEU, have been involved in fighting the fires since Tuesday. SOPFEU did not immediately return a request for comment Friday.
The Canadian-made CL-415 firefighting planes are sent to California each fall as part of an annual contract that has been in place since 1994. The contract normally begins in September and lasts for between 90 and 180 days.
The devastating fires in the Los Angeles area have killed at least 10 people, according to local officials, and wiped out whole neighbourhoods.
The fires have burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures since Tuesday, when they first began popping up around a densely populated, expanse north of downtown Los Angeles.
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