B.C. wildfire crews return from California deployment to combat L.A. fires

Tim Bearer walks in the rubble of his mother's fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jae C. Hong

More than 30 firefighters from British Columbia’s Wildfire Service have returned home from a deployment fighting large fires that destroyed thousands of homes around Southern California.

The Ministry of Forests say the crews are part of two separate groups, the first consisting of 13 technical specialists who were deployed on Jan. 11 to support the effort to combat the Palisades wildfire in L.A.

Then, on Jan. 16, the BC Wildfire Service sent another 22 front-line firefighters along with an agency representative to California.

The second crew worked on front-line fire suppression and other activities targeting the Eaton and Hughes wildfires to the east and north of Los Angeles.

The wildfires are now considered contained, but 29 people were killed and as many as 19,000 homes and other buildings were destroyed since the fires started on Jan. 7.

The B.C. Ministry of Forests say the crews gained valuable experience during the deployment, including developing and training in techniques for fire-suppression without water availability.

The ministry says that experience will allow the BC Wildfire Service to have improved capabilities for fighting similar fires in B.C. in the future.

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2025.

The Canadian Press