By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- A drone struck an Los Angeles Police Department helicopter around 3 p.m. Tuesday near Reseda Boulevard and the 101 Freeway while firefighters battled a brush fire at the Encino Reservoir.
- The helicopter landed safely at Van Nuys Airport; the aircraft sustained minor damage and there were no injuries reported among crew members.
- The eight-acre brush fire was caused by downed power lines; firefighting crews initially attacked a 50-by-50 spot fire before aggressively attacking a second spot fire that ignited nearby when an energized line struck the ground.
- Mayor Karen Bass condemned the drone flight as illegal and unacceptable, referencing a previous drone incident during the January 2025 Palisades Fire, and vowed prosecution of individuals responsible.
- Full containment was achieved Tuesday evening; Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was contacted regarding the downed power lines responsible for the incident.
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — A drone collided with an LAPD helicopter operating above an active brush fire near the Encino Reservoir on Tuesday afternoon, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing with no injuries reported.
The drone struck the police helicopter approximately 3 p.m. near Reseda Boulevard and the 101 Freeway while firefighting operations were underway. Officer Charles Miller with LAPD media relations confirmed the collision. The helicopter successfully landed at Van Nuys Airport and sustained only minor damage.
The incident occurred during suppression operations on an eight-acre brush fire at the Encino Reservoir. Authorities determined that downed power lines ignited the initial blaze.
LAFD Chief Jaime Moore described the fire’s progression. Firefighters discovered a 50-by-50-foot spot fire believed caused by a downed power line and immediately initiated aggressive suppression efforts. While crews were engaged in these firefighting operations, a second spot fire ignited nearby, caused by an energized power line that had struck the ground. Firefighting personnel immediately shifted operations to attack the second fire, which was determined to be associated with the original fire due to the common power line source.
“Our firefighters immediately did an aggressive attack… they were mopping up that fire when, just up the hillside, another spot fire broke out because of the energized power line that hit the ground there,” Moore stated.
LAFD contacted the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power regarding the downed electrical lines responsible for igniting the fire.
Full containment of the brush fire was achieved Tuesday evening.
Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement condemning the illegal drone flight. “I will say that it is completely unacceptable and illegal to fly drones like this, and we had that incident in previous fires as well. If you remember, in the Palisades, it hit one of the helicopters, and so the message is — this is unacceptable,” Bass stated. “If we find out who you are, you will be arrested, and you will be prosecuted. So any lookie-loos out there, this is very dangerous to everyone.”
The mayor referenced a prior drone strike on a Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter during the January 2025 Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes.