Firefighting Aircraft Collides With Some Idiot’s Drone Over Palisades Fire

At this point, each drone hobbyist knows the rules that you don’t alert adjacent craft responding to an emergency. But irresponsible dolts inactive proceed to marque occupation whenever catastrophe strikes. A civilian-flown drone collided with a firefighting craft implicit the Palisades Fire connected Thursday. And that aircraft, a Canadair CL-415 known arsenic the SuperScooper Quebec 1, has present been grounded owed to harm to its wing.

“Quebec 1 sustained helping harm and remains grounded and retired of service. There were nary reported injuries. The incidental is nether probe by the Federal Aviation Administration,” the L.A. County Fire Department said successful a connection posted to X.

The incidental happened astir 1 p.m. section clip and it’s not yet wide however agelong the firefighting craft volition beryllium incapable to operate. The Quebec 1 was repeatedly scooping up 1,600 gallons of water h2o to dump connected the Palisades Fire which has destroyed countless homes successful the L.A. country since starting earlier this week.

#Canadian CL-415 Super Scoopers astatine enactment successful Los Angeles, helping conflict the horrendous #LosAngelesWildfires
The Quebec-based craft tin scoop up 1600 gallons of h2o successful 12 seconds. pic.twitter.com/SXcafJonL6

— Binks (@BinkyBaxter1) January 9, 2025

“It’s a national crime, punishable by up to 12 months successful prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts connected nationalist lands,” the FAA said successful a connection published online. “Additionally, the FAA tin enforce a civilian punishment of up to $75,000 against immoderate drone aviator who interferes with wildfire suppression, instrumentality enforcement oregon exigency effect operations erstwhile impermanent formation restrictions (TFRs) are successful place.”

The impermanent formation restrictions are successful spot from Jan. 9 to Jan. 23, according to the FAA’s website. It’s not known who whitethorn person been flying the civilian drone that collided with the SuperScooper.

The full metro country of Los Angeles is connected borderline implicit the fires, which wasn’t helped by the information that each of L.A. County received a phone alert connected Thursday informing radical to evacuate. The alert was lone expected to spell retired to residents of Woodland Hills adjacent the Kenneth Fire, a caller occurrence that started Thursday, but alternatively went to everybody successful the region of astir 10 cardinal people.

An apprehension was made Thursday of a antheral suspected of mounting a occurrence successful Woodland Hills, according to section quality outlet KTLA. The antheral was detained by citizens who said helium had a “propane vessel oregon a flamethrower,” though it’s not wide helium was doing thing incorrect yet.

“We truly banded unneurotic arsenic a group,” 1 of the civilians successful the country told KTLA. “A fewer gentlemen surrounded him and got him connected his knees. They got immoderate zip ties, a enactment and we were capable to bash a citizens’ arrest.”

An LAPD spokesperson told Fox News that the fishy was arrested astir 4:32 p.m. connected Thursday and transported to the Topanga Police Station but they “CANNOT corroborate immoderate transportation to immoderate occurrence by this fishy astatine this time.”

Video obtained by section quality presumption FOX LA shows radical detaining the man, who hasn’t been identified.

NEW: @FOXLA has exclusively obtained video of a antheral carrying a stroke torch successful Woodland Hills, CA Thursday not acold from the Kenneth Fire. LAPD says the antheral is successful custody but “can’t corroborate immoderate transportation to immoderate occurrence by this suspect”. #CaliforniaWildfires #KennethFire pic.twitter.com/ULwxtnfsdj

— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) January 10, 2025

The Palisades Fire conscionable northbound of Santa Monica is presently astatine implicit 20,400 acres with 8% containment, the Eaton Fire adjacent Pasadena is astatine implicit 13,900 acres with 3% containment, the Hurst Fire successful the San Fernando Valley is astatine 771 acres astatine 37% containment, and the caller Kenneth Fire successful Woodland Hills is astatine 1,000 acres with 35% containment.

Hundreds of thousands of radical are nether evacuation warnings oregon orders and astatine slightest 10 radical person died truthful far, according to the L.A. Times. The section upwind reports overgarment a disturbing representation for adjacent week, arsenic rainfall has been astatine conscionable 3% of the yearly mean implicit the past year, according to KCAL, creating dangerously adust conditions. And winds are expected to prime backmost up astir Sunday and Monday.