California Fire Battalion chief David Acuna joins'Fox & Friends Weekend' to provide an update on the ongoing Los Angeles fires. Private drones being flown near the wildfires consuming Los Angeles County continued to interfere with aerial firefighting efforts Saturday evening, according to officials, as the death toll from the flames rises. Officials have detected 48 privately owned drones flying over the fires since the infernos erupted Tuesday, Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief Robert Harris said during a briefing Saturday evening. "When those privately owned drones are detected, we have to pause firefighting activities, so we ask you to please assist us by not operating drones in the area," Harris said, adding that the drones' owners are being sought by police and will face potential prosecution. Authorities urge civilians not to fly drones near wildfires because they can get in the way of low-flying firefighting aircraft and delay emergency responders.

Multiple unauthorized drones flew above the Palisades fire Friday afternoon, forcing firefighting aircraft to leave the area for safety and angering those working on the front lines, authorities said. These sightings came just a day after a drone collided with a Super Scooper fixed-wing aircraft, grounding the plane for several days of repairs and reducing the number of aircraft available to fight the fire. "This is not just harmless fun. This is incredibly dangerous," said Chris Thomas, public information officer for the Palisades fire. "Seriously, what if that plane had gone down? It could have taken out a row of homes. It could have taken out a school."

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.

A drone collided with a firefighting aircraft flying over the Palisades fire on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The aircraft landed safely and the incident will be investigated, an FAA official said. "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.