President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine is ready to help victims of the devastating wildfires in California and 150 Ukrainian firefighters are ready to deploy.
The Ukrainian president’s proposal comes three days after US President-elect Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. took to social media to criticize Ukraine and respond to the Los Angeles wildfires. “Oh, and of course the Los Angeles Fire Department donated tons of supplies to Ukraine,” Trump Jr. said in a Jan. 8 post to X.
Once deployed, Ukrainian firefighters will join firefighters from Canada and Mexico, despite President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on both countries. Both firefighters are already in the Los Angeles area supporting fire departments across the state.
On Sunday, President Zelensky said in a post to X: “Today, I instructed Ukraine’s Minister of the Interior and diplomats to prepare for the possibility that our rescue workers will be involved in extinguishing the wildfires in California.
“The situation on the ground is extremely difficult and Ukrainians can save American lives. This is currently being coordinated and we have offered support to the American side through relevant channels. 150 firefighters. is already ready.”
Firefighters managed to extinguish several small fires in Southern California over the weekend, but two large fires, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, were still burning after burning for six consecutive days. The fire has not been extinguished.
Wildfires have reduced the entire Los Angeles area to ashes, killing at least 16 people and forcing more than 150,000 to evacuate. California Governor Gavin Newsom said the fires could be the most devastating natural disaster in U.S. history.
Stronger winds could cause more damage across Los Angeles in the coming days.
On Saturday morning, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum posted on I’m leaving,” he wrote. “We are a nation of tolerance and unity,” she added.
Newsom thanked Mexico in a message to X posted Friday after the deployment was announced. “California deeply appreciates President Sheinbaum’s support in fighting the Los Angeles wildfires,” he wrote.
Crews from California and nine other states are part of an ongoing response that includes about 1,400 fire engines, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including members from Mexico.
Hundreds of inmates from California prisons also joined in the firefighting effort. Nearly 950 incarcerated firefighters were dispatched “to cut fire lines and remove fuel to slow the spread of the fire,” according to an update from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The state has long relied on prison labor to fight fires, a practice that is controversial because inmates are paid little for the dangerous and difficult work.
via Reuters
