Firefighting aircraft provided by the Quebec government and a British Columbia-based company are helping fight massive wildfires sweeping through the Los Angeles area.
These include two Canadian water bombing aircraft from Quebec, as well as Coulson Aviation helicopters that the company says are “on the front line” of the fight.
Coulson said in a social media post that crews were “facing high winds and difficult conditions” in fighting the Palisades fires.
Thousands of firefighters are dealing with multiple fires that have killed at least two people and destroyed more than 1,000 structures across the Los Angeles area as of Wednesday morning, according to the Los Angeles County fire chief.
A second major wildfire broke out in Sylmar, a suburb of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley said Wednesday alongside her county counterpart.
Pictures from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood showed firefighters in front of large homes engulfed in flames, while residents fled amid flames, strong winds and clouds of smoke. Officials said on Wednesday that at least 70,000 residents had been ordered to evacuate.
Colson’s social media post included a screenshot showing the flight paths of three water bombing helicopters repeatedly hovering over the neighborhood.
Coulson, which is based in Port Alberni, British Columbia, but also operates in the United States and Australia, says its aircraft in the fight include its twin-rotor Chinook and the smaller Sikorsky S-76 helicopter.
There are no official requests for support from Canada: officials
British Columbia Forestry Minister Ravi Parmar said the province is willing to help California fight the fires but has not yet received a request.
“British Columbia knows all too well the devastating effects of wildfires,” he said in a statement emailed to CBC News.
“My thoughts are with the people of Los Angeles as they face this very difficult situation… BC will provide support in any way we can in the coming days.”
A spokesman for the Quebec Department of Transportation said that the two Quebec government aircraft have been actively involved in fighting the fires since Tuesday.
The department says on its website that Canadian-made CL-415 firefighting aircraft are sent to California each fall as part of an annual contract that has been in place since 1994. It says the contract typically begins in September and lasts between 90 and 180 days.
Stephane Caron of Quebec’s wildfire protection agency, SOPFEU, said the planes were dispatched with their pilots, co-pilots and technicians.
Quebec Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel sent a message of support on the X to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying the province is prepared to send additional firefighters to the state if they are needed.
“California is currently going through difficult times due to wildfires,” Bonnardel wrote. “The governor…can count on the Quebec government and on the SOPFEU to support him, if necessary, in this fight.”
Tens of thousands of people in the upscale Los Angeles suburb of Pacific Palisades were forced to flee a fast-moving wildfire fueled by extremely strong winds, with some abandoning their cars to flee on foot.
The disaster prompted the NHL to postpone a home game between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames on Wednesday.
The Kings said in a statement that the team appreciates the hard-working first responders who are trying to contain the fires and protect the community.
“We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our fans, staff and players safe,” the statement read.
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