B.C. crews help fight devastating wildfires in Los Angeles

Canadian crews and aircraft have arrived in California to assist in fighting the massive wildfires ripping through the Los Angeles area.

Port Alberni-based Coulson Aviation has deployed helicopters to the region.

“Braving high winds and challenging conditions, the Coulson Crew is currently on the frontlines of the Palisades Fire in California. We remain dedicated to supporting suppression efforts and safeguarding lives and property,” wrote the company on Instagram.

Coulson Aviation is piloting three Boeing CH-47 Chinook helitankers, each with a 3,000 gallon tank, as well as a smaller Sikorsky craft.

Coulson is based in B.C., but has resources contracted out to California all the time. The company has been deployed to the Palisades fire, the most critical blaze in the area.

“Although fires are popping up every day, we still are in red flag warnings down here, and we will be for a while yet,” said CEO Wayne Coulson.

Coulson says they’re still battling excessive winds, which means new fire starts.

His crews flew over the Sunset fire Wednesday night, dropping over 200,000 liters of water.

They dropped another 250,000 litres on the Palisades fire.

Coulson says he’s never seen anything like it.

“You've got a wind event that got a three-hour head start before we could get onto the fire. So we were behind the eight ball from the very, very start,” he explained.

He said there was nothing crews could do but get out of the way at some points because of the high wind.

“It was gusting 80 miles an hour. That wind, there were minutes for people to get out of their homes. And you know, unfortunately, some people have perished in the fires, which is extremely sad. But this is something. It's a phenomenon. No one's ever seen anything like this before,” he told CTV News.

CANADIAN SUPPORT

Quebec also has two Canadian-made water bombers in the area helping out.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted a video of a Canadian water bomber on X with the caption “Neighbours helping neighbours” and the Canadian and U.S. flags.

Trudeau said Canadians are thinking of everyone affected and the lives tragically lost.

“We’re no stranger to the challenge of wildfires, and California’s been there to help our Canadian firefighters out time and time again,” wrote the prime minister.

He says Canada stands ready to provide more resources to its American neighbours.

B.C. Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar says the BC Wildfire Service has not been requested to assist at this point.

“We have strong relationships with our international partners, including California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and B.C. will provide support in any way we can in the days ahead,” wrote Parmar in a statement.

He says British Columbia knows all too well the devastating impacts of wildfires.

“My thoughts are with the people of Los Angeles as they face this extremely challenging situation, and I’m sending strength to the residents, first responders, and all those working to protect lives and communities,” wrote the minister.

ESCAPING L.A.

Travellers arriving at YVR from L.A. shared harrowing stories of their journeys out of the fire zone.

“It smelled really smoky even in the car and you could even feel a bit of the heat on the window,” said Rita Albert, a passenger who left L.A.

Travellers said conditions in the region were bright and sunny, but quickly turned smoky and black.

“Our hotel was impacted, the lobby was packed with hundreds of people trying to escape the Palisades so we were all safe,” said Ilana Gory, a tourist.

People on vacation only kilometres away from the fires could see the devastation and ash everywhere.

“When we drove in there it was very Armageddon-ish,” said Dawn Marie Stager, an L.A. resident.

FLEEING CANADIANS

Canadian expat Carolyn Day and her family are caught in the chaos.

They had to flee their home in West L.A. as the flames roared closer.

“The fires are now 100 feet from our house. We're getting news that they're battling on the ground and that the county has sent backup air support. I think our emergency services are stretched so thin now that they're focused on preserving life and not structures,” said Day in an interview with CTV News Thursday morning.

She described the heartbreak of watching her home be destroyed.

“It's hard to watch and realize that your community is mostly going to burn because resources are stretched so thin in other conditions. If there was a fire in our county, there would be dozers and helicopters flying above to preserve structures, but the new fires that broke out into L.A. yesterday are making everything so much more difficult,” said Day.

She says it is difficult not to second guess herself or have regrets.

“I just keep reminding him that, you know, we filled up trash cans, we left them on the deck with water so people could easily put out spot fires. We've trimmed all our trees back. Our roof is steel. The new deck we built is made out of composite material that doesn't burn,” said Day.

Day says she’s grateful she and her pets were able to escape safely.

She says family and friends in Nova Scotia and Vancouver have offered them a place to stay and they are considering it.

“We don't have a place to go to right now. My kids' school burnt down, our grocery store, a gas station, where we got married, everything we know is gone and it's just surreal to even say this out loud,” she said.

Their house is still standing, but she’s not getting her hopes up.

“Yesterday, I decided that it was probably going to burn, and the faster I got used to this idea, the faster I could mourn it and be clear minded to turn around and see what is next in our lives,” said Day.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s St John Alexander, CTV National News’ Andrew Johnson, and The Canadian Press