Even though Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canada, insulted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and spoke about annexing the neighboring country, Canadian authorities did not hesitate to jump in to help fight the devastating fires in California.
Canadians are joining the intervention forces that have been fighting the massive fires in the American state of California since the beginning of the week. This is despite the recent repeated attacks launched by the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, against the neighboring country.
Thousands of firefighters are battling multiple fires that have so far killed at least five people and destroyed over 1,000 buildings in the Los Angeles area, according to the chief of firefighters in the county of the same name.
Firefighting aircraft provided by the government of Quebec province and a company based in British Columbia are helping in the fight against the massive fires that are destroying significant areas in Los Angeles County, reports CBC News.
On-site, two water-bombing planes, manufactured in Canada and sent from Quebec, as well as helicopters from the Canadian company Coulson Aviation, are at the "front line" of the battle against the flames.
Coulson posted on social media that its crews are facing "strong winds and challenging conditions" in the fight against the fires in the Palisades area.
The post included a screenshot showing the flight paths of three of its water-bombing helicopters circling repeatedly above the Palisades neighborhood.
The company, headquartered in British Columbia but also operating in the US and Australia, says its fleet includes double-rotor Chinook aircraft and the smaller Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, contracted by the local company Southern California Edison.
This means that Coulson's aircraft directly serve Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties and were among the first to respond to vegetation fires.
The CEO of the Canadian company, Wayne Coulson, told the cited source that his crews have been dispatched to several fires in the L.A. area and will support ground intervention teams as needed.
On the other hand, British Columbia's Minister of Forests, Ravi Parmar, stated that the province is ready to assist California in fighting the fires but has not yet received an official request to do so.
CL-415 firefighting aircraft manufactured in Canada are sent to California every autumn under an annual contract signed in 1994, as stated on the Canadian firefighting department's website. The contract typically starts in September and lasts for 90 to 180 days.
Stéphane Caron from Quebec's forest fire protection agency (SOPFEU) stated that the aircraft are sent to the US with their own pilots, co-pilots, and technicians.
The involvement of Canadian firefighters in the California fires has not gone unnoticed on social media.
Many users have noted Canada's significant support, despite Trump's attacks.
"While Trump lies about Canada, threatens to impose 25% tariffs causing a recession, insults our Prime Minister, and threatens to annex us, Canadian bombers and helicopters are busy extinguishing the fires engulfing Los Angeles," wrote on X Stephano Barberis, a Canadian music video director.