Canadians join the fight against wildfires in Los Angeles

Firefighting planes provided by the Quebec government and a B.C.-based company are helping to fight the massive wildfires that have ripped through the Los Angeles area.

These include a pair of Canadian-made water bombers out of Quebec, as well as Coulson Aviation helicopters, which the company says are “on the front lines” of the battle.

Coulson said in a social media post that his crews were “braving high winds and difficult conditions” fighting the Palisades fires.

Thousands of firefighters have been battling multiple fires in the Los Angeles area since Wednesday morning that have killed at least two people and destroyed more than 1,000 structures, according to the Los Angeles County fire chief.

WATCH | Residents fleeing the forest fire were forced to leave their cars:

LA fire chief says wildfires are pushing emergency services ‘to the max’

Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley spoke with her state counterpart on Wednesday, saying a second major wildfire had broken out in the LA suburb of Sylmar.

Footage from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood shows firefighters standing in front of large homes engulfed in flames, while residents escape through fire, high winds and clouds of smoke. At least 70,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate, officials said Wednesday.

Coulson’s social media post included a screenshot showing the flight paths of three waterbombing helicopters repeatedly circling the neighborhood.

Coulson, which is based in Port Alberni, B.C., and also operates in the U.S. and Australia, says its warplanes include a twin-rotor Chinook and a smaller Sikorsky S-76 helicopter.

No formal request for support from Canada: officials

BC Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said the province is ready to help California with the fires but has yet to receive a request.

“British Columbia knows all too well the devastating effects of wildfires,” he said.

“My thoughts are with the people of Los Angeles as they face this extremely difficult situation … and B.C. will provide as much support as we can in the days ahead.”

A spokesperson for the Quebec Department of Transportation said two Quebec government planes have been actively involved in fighting the fires since Tuesday.

The Canadian-made CL-415 firefighting aircraft are sent to California every fall as part of an annual contract that has been in place since 1994, according to the department’s website. The contract usually starts in September and lasts between 90 and 180 days.

Stephane Caron of SOPFEU, Quebec’s Forest Fire Protection Agency, said the planes were dispatched with their own pilots, co-pilots and technicians.

Quebec Public Safety Minister Francois Bonnardel sent a message of support to California Gov. Gavin Newsom on X, saying the province is ready to send additional firefighters to the province if needed.

“California is going through tough times right now because of the wildfires,” Bonnardel wrote. “The governor … can count on the Quebec government and SOPFEU if necessary in this fight.”

WATCH | Crews were underpowered to fight the forest fire:

People fleeing the wildfires in LA leave their cars to escape on foot

Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee a fast-moving wildfire in the affluent Los Angeles suburb of Pacific Palisades, driven by extremely strong winds, with some abandoning their cars to flee on foot.

The disaster prompted the NHL to postpone Wednesday’s home game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Calgary Flames.

The Royals said in a statement that the team appreciates the hard-working first responders working to prevent fires and protect the community.

“We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our fans, staff and players safe,” the statement read.