With the death toll from the fire in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles in California, USA, having risen to sixteen as of today, it is needless to mention that fire fighters and rescue workers have their hands full trying to get that disaster under control.  

They certainly do not need a bunch of idiots breaking the law and flying their drones into the area, endangering fire-fighting aircraft and halting efforts to put out the fire as soon as can be.

Sadly, this is exactly what has happened.

One of these unauthorised drones collided with an air tanker on January 9, tearing a hole in the plane’s wing and forcing rending it inoperable, at a time when the Palisades needed it the most. The Super Scooper fixed-wing aircraft will be grounded for several days of repairs, reducing the number of aircraft available to fight the fire.

Reports from the USA also have it that several other unauthorised drones flew above the Palisades fire on Friday afternoon, forcing firefighting aircraft to leave the area for safety and angering those working on the front lines, authorities said.

“This is not just harmless fun,” said Chris Thomas, public information officer for the Palisades fire.

“This is incredibly dangerous. Seriously, what if that plane had gone down? It could have taken out a row of homes. It could have taken out a school.”

The most recent unauthorised drones were seen flying near the southeastern portion of the fire, bordering Santa Monica, around 16:40PM on Friday, Thomas said.

“Because of safety, we have to get all the aircraft out of the area until we know the drones are gone. So that is very dangerous, because it takes water-dropping capability away from the fire.

“If we have to take helicopters out of an area and the wind catches one of those cinders in that area and lifts it up, we could ignite a whole other area.”

On Friday evening, there was a significant flare-up on the eastern edge of the Palisades fire, prompting new evacuation orders in Brentwood and Encino as the blaze moved northeast toward Mandeville Canyon, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Aerial footage captured by KTLA showed firefighting aircraft swooping into the area to drop water.

Thomas said that law enforcement has been informed about the drones and that the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the recent incidents.

“We take this very, very seriously,” he said.

The FAA in turn released a statement on Thursday warning drone operators that temporary flight restrictions are currently in place around all major regional fires, and that failure to obey could result in hefty fines.

“It’s a federal crime, punishable by up to twelve months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands,” the FAA said in a statement.

“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 when temporary flight restrictions are in place.”

According to L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, the drone that collided with the Super Scooper left a “fist-sized hole” in the aircraft, which probably will not be back in the air until Monday.

Marrone said the FBI is now planning to come to the area with what he called “aerial armour” to make sure no further drones can fly in the firefighting area.

With the Super Scooper out of commission, there are currently twelve helicopters and seven fixed-wing airplanes fighting the Palisades fire, Thomas said.

Firefighters had reached eight percent containment on the 21,317-acre blaze Friday evening. The fire continues to grow and threaten homes in Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Santa Monica and Calabasas.