Saskatchewan offers aircraft and firefighters to help battle California fires

Saskatchewan has offered to send equipment and personnel to California to help fight the deadly fires sweeping the American state.

The wildfires have so far left at least 25 people dead, and have burned about 60 square miles in the Los Angeles area, destroying thousands of structures and displacing more than 180,000 people.

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After getting a request for help from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, the Government of Saskatchewan said on Tuesday that it has offered to send a birddog aircraft, 10 firefighters and 3000 lengths of 100-foot hose to California, and is now awaiting a response from the centre “regarding the next steps in deploying these resources.”

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the wildfires in California,” Tim McLeod, Saskatchewan’s public safety minister, said in a statement.

“In Saskatchewan, we know firsthand how devastating a fire can be, and offering our experienced members and equipment is exactly what being a good neighbour is all about.”

Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said on Monday that dozens of firefighters from Alberta and British Columbia will help fight wildfires in California, and the federal government is co-ordinating efforts with the provinces to deploy resources.

Sajjan says in a social media post that 60 firefighters from the two provinces will be deployed as soon as Monday, and that Canadian officials are working to identify and prepare more resources to send in the days ahead.

Alberta announced last week that it is sending up to 40 wildland firefighters with more personnel, water bombers and contracted night-vision helicopters ready to deploy.

B.C.’s forests minister, meanwhile, has said a crew from the province’s wildfire service left for California on Saturday afternoon to help battle the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area.

Quebec said Friday it will send two more firefighting aircraft to California, a day after one of the province’s water bombers collided with a drone while battling the wildfires. The Canadian-made CL-415 was one of the province’s two planes that was already helping in the wildfire.

Their crews are sent to California every fall as part of an annual contract that has been in place for more than 30 years.

Nadia Williamson lost her home to the devastating fires in California. Nadia, her husband and their two cats evacuated safely. (Nadia Williamson/submitted)

At least 25 killed by blazes

The fires have killed at least 25 people, displaced thousands of others and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.

The blazes started last Tuesday, fuelled by fierce Santa Ana winds that forecasters expect to kick back up through at least midweek. Cal Fire reported that the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst fires have consumed about 62 square miles (160 square kilometers).

The Palisades Fire, along the coast, has been blamed for eight deaths, while the Eaton Fire farther inland has been blamed for 16 others, the LA County medical examiner’s office said. At least 23 people are missing.

Officials on Monday lowered the number of people under evacuation orders from about 150,000 to under 100,000. However, they cautioned that more evacuations could be ordered when high winds return.

Cal Fire reported containment of the Palisades Fire at 14 per cent and the Eaton Fire at 33 per cent as of Monday morning.

The Kenneth Fire, which broke out near West Hills in the San Fernando Valley, was completely contained, while the Hurst Fire was 95 per cent contained.

About 92,000 customers, more than half in Los Angeles County, were without power across California as of Monday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.

Sewer, water and power infrastructure across the region has been significantly damaged, officials said.

What caused the Los Angeles fires?

Investigators are still trying to determine what sparked the fires, which could be the costliest ever in the U.S. Government agencies haven’t provided preliminary damage estimates yet, but AccuWeather, a company that provides data on weather and its impact, puts the damage and economic losses at $250 billion to $275 billion.

Lightning is the most common source of fires in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association, but investigators quickly ruled that out. There were no reports of lightning in the Palisades area or the terrain around the Eaton Fire, which started in eastern Los Angeles County.

The next two most common causes are fires that are intentionally set or caused by electricity lines.

The National Weather Service issued a rare warning about a “particularly dangerous situation” related to severe fire conditions beginning overnight Monday into Tuesday.

Sustained winds of up to 64 kph and gusts in the mountains reaching 105 kph are predicted through Wednesday, forecasters said. Winds picked up on Monday and were expected to strengthen on Tuesday, fire behavior analyst Dennis Burns said.

LA County Recovers, a government-run program, posted interactive maps on its website that show the damage.

The maps for the Eaton and Palisades fires allow users to click on an icon and get a description of the type of structure, such as a home or commercial building, and the type of damage, such as “major” or “destroyed.”

Addresses may be entered into a search bar to find a specific location. Users can also see photos of the damaged buildings.

Looting and price gouging add to the problems

Nearly three dozen people have been arrested for taking items from damaged homes and businesses, authorities said.

“We’re starting to see the criminal emerge,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a news conference Monday.

Price gouging has become an issue with hotels, short-term rentals and medical supplies. Scammers are also soliciting donations for bogus relief efforts, authorities said.

Donations pour in for response and recovery

Health insurer Anthem Blue Cross and media companies Netflix and Comcast NBCUniversal said they each plan to donate $10 million to bolster response and recovery efforts.

Meanwhile, singer Beyoncé has contributed $2.5 million to a newly launched LA Fire Relief Fund created by her charitable foundation, BeyGOOD. And Metallica’s foundation, All Within My Hands, pledged $500,000 to the relief effort.

The theater world also is joining the donation drive. The nonprofit fundraising group Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has awarded $500,000 in emergency grants to help with meals, shelter, medical care, clothing and emergency financial help.

President Joe Biden said Monday the federal government is covering most costs associated with the devastation for the next 180 days, but it will take tens of billions of dollars for a full recovery. Congress “needs to step up” and provide funding, he said.

— with files from Associated Press and Canadian Press