Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to send firefighters from his country to Los Angeles Sunday as California continues to fight an uphill battle to contain the inferno.
Zelenskyy instructed his government to prepare 150 firefighters for “possible participation” in taming the Los Angeles fires, he announced on X Sunday. As of Monday, the fires have only been partially contained, claiming the lives of 24 people and scorching of over 37,000 acres of land, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).
“Today, I instructed Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs and our diplomats to prepare for the possible participation of our rescuers in combating the wildfires in California,” Zelenskyy announced on X. “The situation there is extremely difficult, and Ukrainians can help Americans save lives. This is currently being coordinated, and we have offered our assistance to the American side through the relevant channels. 150 of our firefighters are already prepared.”
None of the three major fires have been fully contained, with the Palisades fire only 14% contained, the Eaton fire 30% contained and the Hurst fire 89% contained as of Jan. 13, according to CAL FIRE. Additionally, some criminals are taking advantage of the chaos to loot houses, prompting Newsom to deploy the National Guard Jan. 9, according to a press release.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) donated fire fighting equipment to Ukraine in 2022, which drew the ire of critics online, including President-elect Donald Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr. The U.S. also funds the salaries of first responders in Ukraine on top of military aid for its war with Russia, according to Ukraine Oversight.
Oh look of course The LA fire department donated a bunch of their supplies to Ukraine https://t.co/1XVA15f6oI
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 8, 2025
Los Angeles area residents slammed Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom for his lackluster state-level fire response, adding to their growing list of grievances with the governor. Newsom failed to fully follow through on a 2019 revamp to the fire prevention protocol, and emergency management experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that leadership at the state and local level “neglected [California’s] water infrastructure.”
Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has also taken heat as fire hydrants had reportedly ran dry in the early stages of the fire, hampering containment efforts substantially. Bass, after taking office in 2022, cut the Los Angeles Fire Department’s (LAFD) budget by $17.6 million for fiscal year 2024-2025.
The Los Angeles Fire Department and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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