California 'came to BC directly' for help with LA fires, minister says

(UPDATE: Jan. 10 at 5:13 am): The minister of forests, Ravi Parmar, has now responded to NowMedia's request for information about BC's role in the fires down south.

He said: “CAL FIRE and the BC Wildfire Service have a very strong relationship. That’s why California came to BC directly today, requesting our senior-level expertise to work with them on the frontline.

"California has supported us in our time of need, and we’re now able to reciprocate that support. This is of course a rapidly evolving situation, but we will deploy the resources that our partners need.”

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The Ministry of Forests said representatives from BC and California met on Thursday afternoon to discuss what should happen next.

Officials in California have now confirmed that at least 10 people have died in the devastating fires.

The fires have burned through tens of thousands of hectares and destroyed thousands of structures.

As of this morning, about 100,000 homes in LA are without power.

(Original story: Jan. 9 at 2:45 pm): The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) has offered a helping hand to Los Angeles, USA which is currently dealing with catastrophic wildfires.

BC Premier David Eby confirmed this afternoon on X that BCWS reached out to Cal Fire yesterday.

The ongoing historic wildfires have resulted in evacuations, loss of homes and sadly, some fatalities. California Governor, Gavin Newsom, announced that more than 7,500 firefighting and emergency personnel have been deployed so far.

To the heroes, firefighters, and first responders battling these fires in Los Angeles: Your sacrifice and determination inspire the entire state.

California is deeply grateful for your dedication and service. pic.twitter.com/zfAzwfC1JY

— Governor Newsom (@CAgovernor) January 8, 2025

“BC will offer any assistance we can to the people of LA as they face these challenging fires,” said Eby.

“We will always stand with our American neighbours when they are in need.”

NowMedia reached out to the Ministry of Forests to confirm if the help was accepted, and what the assistance would look like, but did not receive a response answering those questions.

Help from Canada is on the way in the form of air support, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre confirmed.

Last night, the agency responded to a request for a pair of CL-415 Skimmer Airtankers to join the fight against the fires. The timeline to deliver those resources is not yet available.

Meanwhile, water-bombing pilots and crews from Quebec and a British Columbia company, Coulson Aviation, are already on site.

Coulson said in a social media post that they are “braving high winds and challenging conditions” on the front lines of the Palisades fire in California.

“​​We remain dedicated to supporting suppression efforts and safeguarding lives and property.”

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

– With files from The Canadian Press