One of the "Super Scooper" planes aiding in the battle against the Los Angeles wildfires was damaged on Thursday after colliding with a drone, and is now grounded, officials said on Thursday. The collision occurred Thursday afternoon over the Palisades Fire as the Canadair CL-415 aircraft was dumping water onto the blaze.

A firefighting aircraft struck a drone while operating over the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles on Thursday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA stated that the aircraft landed safely and that they would be investigating the incident.

The damage is expected to far exceed the $16 billion in economic losses from Maui's wildfires two years ago. Weather now accounts for almost all of the $320 billion in annual natural catastrophe damages worldwide.

An analysis by J.P. Morgan estimates that the insured losses from the Southern California wildfires could exceed $20 billion and push overall economic losses to $50 billion.

A preliminary report by Accuweather estimated the cost of the wildfires ravaging L.A. County at more than $50 billion, a total that would make it one of the costliest natural disasters in recent U.S.