Drone collides with firefighting aircraft over Palisades fire, FAA says

A drone collided with a firefighting aircraft flying over the Palisades fire on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

“It’s a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands,” the statement said. “Additionally, the FAA can impose a civil penalty of up to $75,000 against any drone pilot who interferes with wildfire suppression, law enforcement or emergency response operations” during a temporary flight restriction.

“We hit a drone this afternoon — first one,” said L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone. “Our Super Scooper hit a small drone.”

He said the incident occurred over the Palisades fire Thursday. He didn’t have details on who was flying the drone, but said the drone was destroyed and the Super Scooper — a massive fixed-wing plane that can drop large amounts of water — was damaged.

Five people have died, but officials say the death toll is likely to be higher. More than 9,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed and at least 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders. Experts say L.A. is not out of danger yet and these fires have the potential to be the costliest wildfire disaster in American history.

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