National News posted Jan 10, 2025 @ 11:45am by Megan Trudeau

Canadian plane fighting fires in LA struck by unauthorized drone

A civilian drone is to blame for putting a Canadian plane that was helping fight fires in Los Angeles out of service.

Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed that the SuperScooper Quebec 1 was struck by a civilian drone that was flying illegally in the Palisades fire area.

SuperScooper grounded after drone strike pic.twitter.com/a7ApxeNHm1

— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) January 10, 2025

The incident happened at about 1 pm PST on Thursday.

According to the department, the plane sustained wing damage and remains grounded and out of service.

Luckily, no injuries resulted from the strike.

The incident is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Flying a drone in the midst of firefighting operations is a federal crime in the USA, and is punishable by up to 12 months in prison or a fine of up to $75,000.

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