One Of Just Two CL-415 Super Scooper Planes Taken Out Of Palisades Fire Fight By Drone
A drone’s collision with a water-dropping aircraft fighting the Palisades fire in Los Angeles caused temporary grounding of all aircraft working that fire and took out one of just two amphibious 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.
#Canadian CL-415 Super Scoopers at work in Los Angeles, helping battle the horrendous #LosAngelesWildfires The Quebec-based aircraft can scoop up 1600 gallons of water in 12 seconds. pic.twitter.com/SXcafJonL6
The combination of the Super Scooper being put out of service along with other firefighting aircraft being temporarily grounded 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.”
