Quebec sending more water bombers to California after aircraft struck by drone

Quebec’s firefighting planes assist California as wildfires displace thousands, with residents like Catherine Loubier facing ongoing danger.

Quebec said Friday it will send two more firefighting aircraft to California, a day after one of the province’s water bombers collided with a drone while battling the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area.

Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said on X that “at the request of U.S. authorities, we will be sending two additional water bombers … and their crews as early as Jan. 15.”

He said Quebec will provide California with four water bombers in total.

“During the terrible wildfire season of 2023, we were able to count on the help of our allies around the world. It’s important to do the same for our neighbours to the south,” Bonnardel added.

British Columbia is also lending more support. Premier David Eby said a senior management team from BC Wildfire Service “will be departing imminently” for California in response to a request from the state’s Forestry and Fire Protection Department.

“California has been there for us, we will be there for them,” Eby said in a social media statement, adding that B.C. is also working on sending groundcrews as part of Canada’s national response.

“That’s what good neighbours do,” the premier said.

The extra planes from Quebec will arrive after a drone strike grounded one of the two the province’s planes that had been helping in the wildfire fight this week. The two Canadian-made CL-415 planes and their crews are sent to California every fall as part of an annual contract that has been in place for more than 30 years.

The L.A. County Fire Department said the plane, known as Quebec 1, was damaged after it was struck by a civilian drone at 1 p.m. Thursday over the city’s Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, where dozens of blocks have been reduced to smouldering rubble.

“Quebec 1 sustained wing damage and remains grounded and out of service. There were no reported injuries,” the fire department said in a social media statement.

Quebec’s Transport Department said the water bomber involved in the collision was manned by a pilot and co-pilot.

Stéphane Caron, prevention and communications co-ordinator at Quebec’s forest fire prevention agency, said the drone punctured the wing and remained embedded when the aircraft landed.

“For the moment, this plane cannot fly until the damage is repaired, and probably it will be next week when it can fly again,” he said in an interview Friday.

The two additional water bombers heading south are the same CL-415 model designed for wildfires. The planes, which in Los Angeles are drawing water from the Pacific Ocean, can fill their tanks in about 12 seconds before returning to the fire, Caron said.

“Next week we’ll send four other pilots and two technicians,” he said, which will bring the province’s California contingent to 12 pilots and about six technicians.

Pascal Duclos, head pilot for the Quebec government’s aerial service, told reporters Friday that the pilot and co-pilot inside the plane that collided with the drone didn’t realize what had happened until the aircraft landed.

“The pilot who hit the drone didn’t know he hit the drone before he landed and looked at the hole in the wing,” he said during a remote news conference from the Los Angeles area.

Quebecers deployed to California are in good spirits, Duclos said, despite some frustration about the drone incident.

“The morale is good,” he said. “They’re happy to help do what they can for the region here.”

The Federal Aviation Administration said it has launched an investigation into the collision. “It’s a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands,” the agency said on its website Thursday.

The massive fires have killed at least 10 people and burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures. In addition to the Quebec government planes, helicopters belonging to B.C.-based Coulson Aviation have also been deployed in the fight.

Canadian Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said Thursday that Canada was ready to deploy 250 firefighters, aircraft and other resources.

A spokesman for Defence Minister Bill Blair said Friday that Canada had yet to receive an official request for help from the United States, and won’t be able to provide more details until that request is formally made. A CC-330 Royal Canadian Air Force plane is on standby to help transport people and equipment to California when needed.

On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated Canada’s support in a message on X. “I spoke with (California Gov.) Gavin Newsom last night. We both know that Canada and the United States are more than just neighbours. We’re friends — especially when times get tough," he said. “California’s always had our back when we battle wildfires up north. Now, Canada’s got yours.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2025.

— With files from Chuck Chiang in Vancouver and The Associated Press