Firefighting aircraft provided by the Quebec government and a BC-based company are helping to fight massive wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area.
They include a pair of Canadian-made water-bombing planes from Quebec, as well as Coulson Aviation helicopters that the company says are “on the front lines” of the fight.
Coulson said in a social media post that his crews were “battling high winds and challenging conditions” to battle the Palisades fire.
Thousands of firefighters are battling multiple blazes that have killed at least two people and destroyed more than 1,000 structures across the Los Angeles area since Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles County fire marshal said.
Tens of thousands of people in the affluent 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.
Images from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood showed firefighters in front of large homes engulfed in flames as residents made their way through the fire, high winds and plumes of smoke. At least 70,000 residents were ordered to evacuate, officials said Wednesday.
Coulson’s social media post included a screenshot showing the flight paths of three of his water-bombing helicopters constantly circling over the neighborhood.
The company, based in Port Alberni, BC but also operating in the US and Australia, says its firefighting aircraft include a twin-rotor Chinook and a smaller Sikorsky S-76 helicopter contracted to local utility Southern California Edison.
That means Coulson’s plane directly serves Los Angeles and Orange and Ventura counties and was among the first on the scene of the wildfires.
CEO Wayne Coulson told CBC News that his crews have been dispatched to several fires throughout the LA area and will support ground crews as needed.
Amid the raging wildfires in the Los Angeles area, BC-based Coulson Aviation sent crews and equipment to help. The company’s CEO, Wayne Coulson, spoke about the fast-spreading fires and how his people are facing challenges on all fronts.
“Unfortunately, in this particular fire, the wind was so strong and the fire took off immediately. It took about three to four hours before any aircraft could get into it,” he told CBC anchor Gloria Macarenko. Ashore.
“It’s in the urban interface and it’s destroying hundreds and hundreds of homes,” Coulson told The Canadian Press. “And many of those houses are, of course, very, very expensive.
“As soon as the wind dies down, we will control it relatively quickly. But the only thing that matters is how much damage has been done in the meantime.”
No official requests for support from Canada: Officials
BC Forestry Minister Ravi Parmar said the province is standing by California to help fight the fires, but has not yet received a request.
“British Columbia knows all too well the devastating effects of wildfires,” he said in an emailed statement to CBC News.
“My thoughts are with the people of Los Angeles as they face this extremely challenging situation … and BC will provide support in any way we can in the coming days.”
A spokesman for Quebec’s transport department said two Quebec government planes have been actively involved in fighting the fire since Tuesday.
The 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, the department says on its website. He says the contract usually starts in September and lasts between 90 and 180 days.
Stéphane Caron of Quebec’s forest fire protection agency, SOPFEU, said the planes were dispatched with their pilots, co-pilots and technicians.
Quebec Public Safety Minister François Bonnardel released a message of support on X for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying the province is ready to send additional firefighters to the state if needed.
“California is going through some tough times right now because of the wildfires,” Bonnardel wrote. “The governor … can count on the Quebec government and SOPFEU to support him, if necessary, in this fight.”
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, speaking with her county counterpart on Wednesday, says a second large wildfire has broken out in the LA suburb of Sylmar
The disaster prompted the NHL to postpone Wednesday’s home game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Calgary Flames.
The Kings said in a statement that the team appreciates the hard-working emergency responders who are trying to contain the fires and protect the community.
“We appreciate the league’s support in protecting our fans, staff and players,” the statement said.
