Canadian water bombers, helicopters on the way to help fight Los Angeles wildfire

By The Canadian Press on January 9, 2025.

The sun rises after the Palisades Fire ravaged a neighbourhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Damian Dovarganes

The Canadian agency that co-ordinates cross-border wildfire response with the United States says it’s working to send a pair of airtankers to Southern California.

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, headquartered in Winnipeg, said Thursday that it got a request overnight for a pair of CL-415 Skimmer Airtankers to join the fight against the fires.

The request came from the U.S. National Interagency Fire Centre based in Idaho, it said.

“The request is being actioned but the delivery timeline is currently unavailable,” the agency said in an email to The Canadian Press. “We are also proactively working to identify potential resource availability, should more requests come in.”

Alberta was preparing to send water bombers, night-vision helicopters and incident command team support.

Premier Danielle Smith said on social media that the province was working with the agency and the federal government to assess California’s needs.

“Good neighbours are always there for each other in times of need, and we will assist our American friends in any way they need during this crisis,” Smith said.

Smith has been on a recent charm offensive with American media outlets and elected officials, emphasizing the strong ties between Canada and the United States.

She has been careful not to denounce president-elect Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs on Canadian imports or a declaration that he intends to annex Canada through “economic force.”

Other provinces have also offered help to battle the fires ravaging parts of Los Angeles.

Water-bombing pilots and crews from Quebec and a British Columbia company are already fighting the wind-whipped flames.

Officials have said hurricane-force winds began igniting one neighbourhood after another on Wednesday in the coastal area of Pacific Palisades and in Altadena, near Pasadena.

Five people have died, more than 100,000 people have been forced from their homes and famous landmarks have come under threat.

Nearly 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed and the number is expected to increase.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2025.