Mexico sends firefighters to California to help with raging blazes

A plane flies after making a drop as smoke billows from the Palisades Fire at the Mandeville Canyon, in Los Angeles, California, US, Jan 11, 2025. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Mexico sent a team of firefighters to California on Saturday to help teams battling the raging wildfires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles.

"The humanitarian aid group is leaving for Los Angeles, California," Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X on Saturday morning, posting photos of firefighters holding the flags of Mexico and California and standing on the runway in front of two planes.

"We are a country of generosity and solidarity," she added.

Six simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County neighbourhoods since Tuesday have killed at least 11 people and damaged or destroyed 10,000 structures. The toll is expected to mount when firefighters are able to conduct house-to-house searches.

California Governor Gavin Newsom thanked Mexico in a message on X posted on Friday after the deployment was announced.

"California is deeply grateful for President Sheinbaum's support as we work to suppress the Los Angeles wildfires," he wrote.