Canadian military, firefighters ready to join Los Angeles wildfire battle

CTV National News: Raging deadly wildfires Wildfires are still raging in California, causing mass devastation. Kathy Le has the latest on the death toll and destruction.

Canada's emergency preparedness minister says Canadian military personnel, their equipment and another 250 firefighters stand "ready to support our American neighbours" as wildfires devastate parts of Southern California.

Harjit Sajjan says in a social media post that "Team Canada, with Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, is ready to deploy 250 firefighters, aircraft equipment and other resources as early as" Thursday night.

Meanwhile, British Columbia Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said in a post on X that "California came to B.C. directly" on Thursday to request "senior-level expertise" to work with U.S. officials "on the front line."

"California has supported us in our time of need, and we're now able to reciprocate that support," Parmar said.

"This is of course a rapidly evolving situation, but we will deploy the resources that our partners need."

The pledges come as the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre said Thursday that the U.S. National Interagency Fire Centre asked for two of its CL-415 Skimmer Airtankers to join the fight against the fires.

"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.

"The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre extends its deepest condolences to all those affected by the ongoing wildfire situation in California. Canadians remain ready and eager to assist as requested."

Canadians caught in the fast-moving wildfires in Los Angeles — including several celebrities — described scenes of panic and horror as thousands of buildings go up in flames.

Romeo Petit, a Winnipeg firefighter, was staying in the foothills on the outskirts of Pasadena when he, his girlfriend and others were told to evacuate Tuesday. Winds were whipping embers everywhere and the fire was moving fast.

"We could see the flames. I've never seen anything like it. It was a wall of flame," Petit recalled in a phone interview Thursday.

After grabbing items from the home and taking them to safety, Petit's training kicked in.

He, his girlfriend and a friend went back and tried to protect the home they were staying in and other houses by dousing them with water from hoses and sprinklers.

"We grabbed whatever hose we could find and did what we had to do," Petit said.

They stayed for a few hours, wetting lawns and homes, he recalled, and left when it looked like the only road out was in danger of being cut off.

In the end, many houses in the immediate area were spared.

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.

A new fire started Thursday in the San Fernando Valley near the West Hills neighbourhood and close to Ventura County, while Los Angeles County officials said the Eaton fire near Pasadena has burned as many as 5,000 structures, including vehicles.

Thousands more have been burned in Pacific Palisades, and five people have died so far — a number expected to rise as cadaver dogs and search crews search through rubble, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

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

Toronto-born multidisciplinary artist Krys Tabujara said they had to evacuate their Los Feliz home, near the Hollywood Hills, after a fire broke out nearby Wednesday.

“I’ve never experienced a fire so close, especially with how big they were growing and so quickly,” said Tabujara, who has been living in L.A. for eight years.

“It was really wild. I was like, ‘I’m not sticking around for this.'”

Tabujara also described a sky thick with black smoke as they drove to San Diego to stay with family for the night.

“The sky looked really apocalyptic," they said. "There was ash in the air like it was snowing. The sunset looked like something from Star Wars.”

Pacific Palisades resident Nadia Williamson said Thursday she found out her home burned down after receiving an image of what was left of her property.

“Where my house is, there’s just a chimney standing there,” Williamson said in a phone interview from Los Angeles.

“It looks like the apocalypse."

Several Canadian entertainers in the area have also been affected, as "Star Trek: Discovery" actor Elias Toufexis said he was forced from his Calabasas home due to small fires at the top of his street.

Toufexis described flames driven by winds so strong that they almost knocked him over.

"I weigh 200 pounds. I stepped out of my house and I was getting knocked over," he said.

Canadian media personality George Stroumboulopoulos said eight people, two dogs and a cat took refuge in his Los Angeles home after he opened his doors to friends caught in the wildfires.

Stroumboulopoulos said he has no plans to leave unless forced to evacuate.

"No one knocked on my door last night to ask me to leave," he said. "They knocked on the door to come in. And I think that's why we stay."

Back in Canada, Alberta is 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.

— With files from Darryl Greer in Vancouver, Jeremy Simes in Regina, Steve Lambert in Winnipeg and Nicole Thompson and Alex Nino Gheciu in Toronto

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