It will take at least 4 days to repair the plane.
Los Angeles authorities reported that on Thursday, January 9, an amateur drone crashed into a Canadian Super Scooper firefighting plane that was extinguishing a fire in one of the hardest-hit areas of the city of Pacific Palisades. Police have launched an investigation and search for the drone operator who violated the no-fly zone in the fire zone.
The Los Angeles Times reports this.
“We shot down a drone this afternoon — the first time. Our Super Scooper shot down a small drone. It put a hole in the wing,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told reporters.
He did not specify whether the drone operator had been identified, but added that the drone was destroyed and the Super Scooper — a huge aircraft capable of dropping large volumes of water — had a “fist-sized hole” and needs repairs. The plane is expected to be back in service on Monday, January 13.
“This Super Scooper will be repaired on a priority basis 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” the fire chief said. Los Angeles.
Marrone also said that after the incident, the FBI plans to provide the area with so-called “air armor” to ensure that the airspace is closed to those seeking spectacular shots.
In a statement released Thursday, January 9, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that drone flights in the Los Angeles fire zone have been temporarily restricted to avoid interfering with the work of rescuers.
“Interfering with firefighting efforts on public lands is a federal crime punishable by up to 12 months in prison. Additionally, the FAA may impose a civil penalty of up to $75,000 on any drone pilot who interferes with wildfire suppression, law enforcement, or emergency response operations during the temporary flight restriction,” the FAA said in a statement.
As of Thursday, drone flight restrictions in the Los Angeles area wildfire zone were extended through January 23.
Recall that five major wildfires are burning in Los Angeles County (California, USA), in which at least 10 people have died. About 10,000 buildings have been burned to the ground.
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