A firefighter collided with a drone while on his territory on Thursday night.
Canadair’s amphibious firefighting aircraft, nicknamed the Super Scooper, suffered a tear in its wing but landed safely, authorities said. It will reportedly need repairs, which are not clear how long they will take, so it remains anchored to the ground.
No one was injured, the Federal Aviation Administration said, adding that the incident was being investigated and warned that flying a drone in the midst of firefighting efforts is a federal crime punishable by up to 12 months in prison or a fine of up to $75,000.
“Flying a drone near a fire is dangerous and can cost lives,” he said, noting that it can cause aircraft to become stuck. “Delayed aerial response poses a threat to firefighters on the ground, residents and property in nearby communities and can allow fires to grow.”
Dozens of aircraft in the battle with the flames
In the smoke-blackened sky of Los Angeles, dozens of firefighting planes and helicopters were yesterday non-stop dropping water or retardant foam to contain the flames that are ravaging parts of the Californian metropolis.
“I’ve never seen so many at the same time,” Albert Azuz, the operator of a helicopter carrying journalists flying over the second-largest US city, which has faced the state’s “most devastating fires in history”, told AFP. it was raised by the outgoing American president, Joe Biden, in the last 24 hours.
Working for a private airline since 2016, Albert Azuz has seen many fires. He remembers in particular those that swept the spa town of Malibu, west of Los Angeles, six years ago. “It was crazy,” he says against the backdrop of the smoke-filled ethers of the metropolis.
Reporters in the helicopter could see at least six fronts. The horizon was obscured by vast columns of smoke, rising from mountains and hills around the city.
While Trump threatens to invade Canada and his MAGA movement bullies and harasses Canadians and other US allies, Canadians are busy saving USians from burning alive.
Canadian air crews in Los Angeles risked their lives to save US civilians.
— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral)
In the sky they could observe up close the endless ballet of Canadair and helicopters near Calabasas, an expensive area full of multi-millionaire vacation homes, west of Los Angeles, where a fire broke out last night.
Six helicopters attempted at low altitude in this zone to drop water on the flames.
At a higher altitude, small aircraft acted as guides for the huge aircraft, with tanks full of retardant foam, which made drops to stop the spread of fires.
Several aircraft, including modified Boeing Chinook helicopters capable of dropping up to 10,000 liters of water, were sent from Canada.
However, when the first outbreaks of fire broke out in Los Angeles on Tuesday, absolutely no aircraft were able to operate: gale-force winds were blowing with gusts of up to 100 miles per hour.
Now, firefighting aircraft and helicopters can act and are an absolutely necessary weapon in the battle with flames. Yesterday, helicopters made hundreds of drops.
After sunset, all night-capable aircraft continued sorties, at least as long as winds permitted.
Pictures reminiscent of “Apocalypse”
National Guard units are being deployed in the unequal battle with the flames that stretch across tens of kilometers, with the dead now reaching 10 and the images in the fire-stricken areas “reminiscent of the Apocalypse”, as Orrin Waters told AFP in front of his home , which turned into apocaidia, in the community of Altadina, north of Los Angels. “Coming back to see this is unthinkable.”
Hundreds of National Guard members were expected to deploy to the area, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced last night. The deployment of the national guard ordered by California’s Democratic governor has a dual purpose: to help thousands of firefighters battle the blaze and to restore order as the region suffered looting. At least 20 suspects have been arrested for cases of this nature in the last 24 hours.
“Let’s be clear: looting will not be tolerated,” he stressed.
Amidst debris in the Altantinasome decided to protect their communities themselves, or what was left of them, by patrolling. A curfew was declared in evacuation zones in the coastal city of Santa Monica.
“I didn’t save the house so that some idiot would come and rob me. No way,” said Nicholas Norman, who spent the night in front of his property after fighting the flames using a water hose.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be a while before anyone comes back,” sighed Kaylen Astur, another resident haunted by the panorama of “death and destruction” in Altadina.
According to the fire department, the fire that swept through Altantina is also raging, although its spread has been “significantly stopped” since last night.
🚨🇺🇸 America must focus on ITS OWN CRISES, not fund GENOCIDES & PROXY WARS abroad!
🙏 Praying for Los Angeles.
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle)
Northwest of US’s second-largest city, outbreak engulfs expensive suburb Pacific Palisadesfull of multi-millionaires and celebrities’ high-priced properties between Malibu and Santa Monica, had yet to be capped last night. And this despite the fact that helicopters were now trying to drop water non-stop, thanks to the weakening of the strong winds that were spreading the flames.
About 180,000 people are under emergency evacuation orders issued by the authorities. There are thousands of buildings that have been reduced to ashes or damaged.
US President Joe Biden spoke of “very widespread” and “catastrophic” fires in a meeting to deal with the crisis that he called a few days before the end of his term.
The gusty winds of up to 160 kilometers per hour, which blew in recent days, carrying debris over distances of even kilometers, have weakened. But the wind has not stopped and the hills are dry. Conditions remain “critical,” according to authorities.
According to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, “absolutely unprecedented,” “historic” winds continue to blow.
Meteorologists’ emergency warning for gale force winds remains in effect today and the fires remain likely to spread, they warned.
Yesterday afternoon, new outbreaks occurred in the exact areas Calambasa and Hidden Hillswhere Kim Kardashian lives among others.
His mythical district Hollywoodwhich was threatened by the flames, can still breathe: the fire in its hills was controlled by the firefighters, according to the authorities, who proceeded to lift the order for the urgent evacuation of the residents yesterday morning.
Californians were urged to save water: reservoirs that feed fire hydrants and pumps were emptied.
