B.C. sending firefighting team to California as premier gears up for trip to U.S. to fight tariff threat
'That's what good neighbours do', David Eby says of pledge to help fight Los Angeles-area fires
Premier David Eby says crews from British Columbia are joining the fight against wildfires spreading in the Los Angeles area in California.
On social media, Eby said the province had received a request from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for a senior management team to join the fight and that "they will be departing imminently."
"California has been there for us. We will be there for them. That's what good neighbours do," Eby wrote in a post on Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter).
Eby also said the province is working to send ground crews to California as part of a national response that is underway.
The request for help comes as wildfires in California have devoured thousands of homes and killed at least 10, according to officials in that state.
It also comes as Eby, along with other Canadian leaders, are emphasizing strong relations with the United States against the backdrop of economic threats from incoming president Donald Trump, who has proposed making Canada the 51st state and promised substantial tariffs on Canada.
On Thursday, Canada's emergency preparedness minister, Harjit Sajjan, emphasized a "Team Canada" approach to the wildfires, saying Canadian military personnel, their equipment and several hundred firefighters stand "ready to support our American neighbours" as wildfires devastate parts of Southern California, as well as resources from provinces including Ontario, Quebec and Alberta.
Containment of the fires remains far out of reach in most cases. At least 180,000 people were under evacuation orders in the fires that have consumed about 145 square kilometres, according to reporting from the Associated Press.
Among them are British Columbians living in California, including Jessica Marrin, a former Vancouver resident who told CBC News her home has been devoured by flames.
"Literally nothing survived," she said. "We pulled up to our house, and it was just paper. It was ash."
B.C.'s forests minister, Ravi Parmar, said earlier this week that British Columbians know "all too well the devastating impacts of wildfires," and that the province would be reaching out to officials in California to find out how they could best offer support.
On Friday, he offered more details, saying the senior management team being sent from B.C. would help with "logistics, planning, operations, aviation, and more."
Several resources from Canada have already joined the fight, including planes from companies based in B.C. and Quebec.
Leaders emphasize support for U.S. amid Trump trade threats
Meanwhile, Canadian leaders are gearing up for the incoming Trump presidency and the promised economic tariffs that could have a major impact on workers and industry in this country.
Eby told reporters this week that he and other premiers are planning a trip to the United States to make the case that the proposed tariffs "will mean a significant increase in prices for Americans" on costs like homes and electricity.
"We're taking the president-elect very seriously," Eby told CBC Power & Politics host David Cochrane in a Thursday interview, saying he's been speaking directly to Democrat governors in the United States, including Oregon, Washington and Colorado, while Premier Danielle Smith of Alberta has been doing the same with Republican governors.
"Everybody's speaking with one voice," he said. "It doesn't make any sense for Americans or Canadians, this [tariff] proposal, and we're really hopeful to drive that message home."
With files from the Canadian Press, the Associated Press and Belle Puri