Firefighting aircraft provided by the Quebec government and a British Columbia-based company are helping fight massive wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area.
These include a pair of Canadian water bombing planes flying out of Quebec, as well as Coulson Aviation helicopters, which the company says are “on the front lines” of the fight.
Coulson wrote in a social media post that his crews are “facing high winds and challenging conditions” while fighting the Palisades fires.
Thousands of firefighters are battling multiple blazes that have killed at least two people and destroyed more than 1,000 buildings in the Los Angeles area since Wednesday morning, according to the Los Angeles County fire chief.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, speaking alongside her county counterpart on Wednesday, says a second major fire has broken out in Sylmar, a suburb of Los Angeles.
Photos from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood showed firefighters outside large homes that burst into flames while residents escaped thanks to the blaze, wild winds and plumes of smoke. On Wednesday, authorities said at least 70,000 residents had been ordered to evacuate.
Coulson's social media post included a screenshot of the flight paths of three helicopters dropping water bombs that repeatedly swirled over the area.
Coulson, which is based in Port Alberni, British Columbia, but also operates in the U.S. and Australia, says its planes involved in the shooting were a twin-rotor Chinook and a smaller Sikorsky S-76 helicopter.
No official requests for support from Canada: officials
British Columbia's forest minister, Ravi Parmar, said the province is ready 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 who are facing this extremely difficult situation… and BC will provide support in every way possible in the days ahead.”
A spokesman for the Quebec Department of Transport said two Quebec government planes have been actively involved in fighting the fires since Tuesday.
Canadian CL-415 firefighting aircraft are dispatched to California each fall under an annual contract that has been in place since 1994, the department says on its website. He says the contract typically starts in September and lasts 90 to 180 days.
Stéphane Caron of Quebec's SOPFEU forest fire protection agency said the planes are sent with their own pilots, co-pilots and technicians.
Quebec Public Safety Minister François Bonnardel sent a message of support on Channel X to California Governor Gavin Newsom, stating that the province was prepared to send additional firefighters to the state if they were needed.
“California is currently experiencing difficult times due to wildfires,” Bonnardel wrote. “The governor… can count on the Quebec government and SOPFEU to support him in this fight if necessary.”
Tens of thousands of people in the affluent Los Angeles suburb of Pacific Palisades were forced to flee a rapidly spreading fire sparked by unusually strong winds, with some abandoning their cars and heading out on foot.
The disaster forced the NHL to postpone Wednesday's home game between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames.
The Kings said in a statement that the team appreciates the hard-working first responders working to contain the fires and protect the community.
“We appreciate the league's support in ensuring the safety of our fans, employees and players,” the statement read.