• A 'Super Scooper' firefighting plane was grounded after hitting a drone in the skies over LA.
• It's one of only two Super Scooper planes helping fight the wildfires ravaging the area.
• The FAA has placed flight restrictions over much of LA's airspace since Thursday afternoon.

One of only two Super Scooper planes helping to fight the Los Angeles wildfires has been taken out of action after it collided with a drone.

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said that the aircraft landed safely, but LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told the LA Times that it was damaged in the encounter on Thursday.

"We hit a drone this afternoon — first one," Marrone said.

"It put a hole in the wing," he added. "It's grounded now."

The aircraft, named the Quebec 1, struck the drone at around 1 p.m. Thursday, according to the LA County Fire Department.

Fire services have been operating two Canadair CL-415 firefighting aircraft, known as Super Scoopers, as well as several other aircraft to try to combat the massive wildfires ravaging Southern California.

The planes are fitted with tanks that skim from large bodies of water to "scoop" it up and then drop it on fires from above.

"Flying a drone near a wildfire is dangerous and can cost lives," the FAA said in its statement, adding that it's a federal crime to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands, punishable by up to a year in prison.

There's also a civil penalty of up to $75,000 for drone operators who interfere with emergency and wildfire responders during temporary flight restrictions, it said.

As of 4.18 p.m. local time on Thursday, the FAA issued the first of three NOTAM flight operating restrictions over large areas above the fires, to allow firefighting aircraft to operate.

The FAA statement said that when people fly drones near wildfires, fire response agencies often ground their aircraft to avoid the potential for a midair collision.

"Delaying airborne response poses a threat to firefighters on the ground, residents, and property in nearby communities, and it can allow wildfires to grow larger," it said.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesperson Chris Thomas told military news site The War Zone that the damaged Super Scooper was one of only two in its arsenal.

He also said that other aircraft fighting the blazes had been temporarily grounded as well.

"This is creating a huge danger," Thomas added. "This is an unprecedented fire. When we ground all aircraft, it could be anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour. You know how far a fire can spread in half an hour."

As of early Friday, almost 36,000 acres had been set on fire, according to official figures.

The drone operator has not been identified, but there has been speculation online, with many social media users pointing to photography accounts that have posted aerial images of the fires.

Consumer drones hit the headlines last month after a spate of drone sightings over the East Coast raised public anxiety, even after the White House and Pentagon said the drones didn't pose a threat.

• Tesla has launched a refreshed Model Y in China as it fights off fierce competition from local rivals.
• The new Model Y is also available to order in Australia and parts of Asia, but there's no sign of a US release yet.
• Tesla is under pressure, with annual sales falling even as Chinese competitors like `BYD report booming demand.

Tesla has launched an updated version of its most successful car — but you can't order it in the US yet.

The Elon Musk-run automaker unveiled a long-rumored refresh of the Model Y on Friday, with deliveries set to begin in China in March as the company fights off fierce competition from local EV rivals.

The new Model Y will have a longer range than its predecessor and an updated design that includes a Cybertruck-style light bar, according to Tesla's Chinese website.

The updated EV is currently available to order in China, parts of Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. There is currently no word on when it will come to the US or Europe.

In China, it will cost 263,500 yuan ($35,900), around $3,000 more expensive than the current starting price of the existing model.

The new Model Y's first appearance in China is no surprise, as Tesla is locked in a brutal price war with local EV companies in the world's largest auto market.

BYD, Nio, and Zeekr all reported big increases in annual electric vehicle sales earlier this month, with Tesla nemesis BYD announcing it had sold 1.76 million EVs in 2024 on the back of strong demand for its affordable models.

Tesla still leads the way, selling 1.79 million vehicles last year, but the carmaker reported its first-ever decline in annual sales in 2024, and is under pressure to meet Elon Musk's ambitious target of 20-30% sales growth this year.

Tesla will be hoping a refresh to the Model Y will help it hit that lofty target and refresh an increasingly stale product lineup.

The last new vehicle released by the company in 2023 was the Cybertruck, which isn't sold in China and has failed to significantly boost Tesla's sales figures.

Some workers on the Cybertruck line in the US have been moved to Model Y production, employees at Tesla's Austin factory told Business Insider.

The automaker has said it will release new, affordable EV models in the first half of this year but is yet to share any details, with Musk focusing instead on the steering wheel-less Cybercab he unveiled in October.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment, sent outside normal working hours.