Los Angeles wildfires: Firefighting plane grounded for 3 days after drone strike causes 'fist-sized hole'

Experts say saltwater isn't a fire department's first choice, but is sometimes necessary to battle out-of-control flames. Federal authorities and California police are investigating after someone flew a drone into the wing of a firefighting aircraft as it carried water to battle the raging wildfires across Los Angeles – causing a "fist-sized hole" and knocking it out of service for days at a crucial time. It happened as the plane, the Quebec 1 Super Scooper that flew down from Canada to help, was working to contain the Palisades Fire, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson told Fox News Digital. It was one of only two Super Scooper aircraft in use in Southern California at the time. Around 1 p.m. Thursday, a civilian drone flew into its wing, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott.