The wildfires ravaging Los Angeles have left thousands of properties destroyed and hundreds of thousands of Californians under evacuation orders.
Firefighters have made progress in several areas in LA overnight but are bracing for more winds Friday afternoon, reported CNN.
As its neighbour to the north, Canada has pledged to send firefighters, aircraft equipment, and other resources to help fight the devastating wildfires in California.
Today, I connected with FEMA Administrator @FEMA_Deanne to offer Canada’s support in California’s fight against the wildfires.
Team Canada, with Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta, is ready to deploy 250 firefighters, aircraft equipment, and other resources as early as tonight.
The…
— Harjit Sajjan (@HarjitSajjan) January 9, 2025
You may have also seen videos of bright yellow airplanes with the Quebec logo dumping water to snuff out the raging fires in LA. One of the planes made headlines on Friday for being grounded after it was struck by a civilian drone that was in restricted airspace.
“Quebec 1 sustained wing damage and remains grounded and out of service,” reads an X post from the LA County Fire Department.
“The LACoFD would like to remind everyone that flying a drone in the midst of firefighting efforts is a federal crime.”
SuperScooper grounded after drone strike pic.twitter.com/a7ApxeNHm1
— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) January 10, 2025
Those are CL-415 firefighting aircraft, also known as the “Super Scooper.”
They are amphibious aircraft designed specifically for aerial firefighting and water bombing, and are part of a 31-year-old agreement between the Quebec and California governments.
Two CL-415 planes are sent to California every year as part of the contract, which normally begins in September and lasts between 90 and 180 days. That’s because Quebec and Southern California have opposite wildfire seasons.
Kilmer Media/Shutterstock
With one Super Scooper down, Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said Friday that they would send more next week to continue assisting in firefighting.
As of Friday, there are still four major wildfires burning across LA county and at least 10 people have died, according to local officials.