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The national coordinator of Civil Protection of Mexico, Laura Velázquez Alzúa, reported that the fire brigade that Mexico has sent to Los Angeles, California, is already in coordinated work with the local government to mitigate the devastating fires that have destroyed more than 15,600 hectares and more than 3,600 infrastructures.
This was stated during the morning press conference of the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, when she communicated remotely and specified that this Tuesday, January 14, 2025, a deployment is planned to carry out search and rescue work in the affected infrastructure and homes.
He also explained that CONAFOR brigades are advancing in the construction and expansion of firebreaks with chainsaws and hand tools, opening new gaps.
In this regard, he noted that there has been absolute coordination with the government of California, which has expressed its gratitude for the support and help in the face of the relentless disaster.
"We are working in unity according to their instructions, in absolute coordination with the government of California in favor of the population and reaffirming our solidarity between the peoples of Mexico and the United States," said Velázquez Alzúa.
In this regard, President Claudia Sheinbaum highlighted the solidarity of the Mexican people and their capacity and support in the face of emergencies and needs.
“Our government is humanist, above all; that is our vision, our thinking, and it corresponds to the people of Mexico. The people of Mexico are generous and fraternal, and today the government is supported by Mexican humanism, and wherever we can, we will always help,” he said.
He added that he particularly supports the city of Los Angeles, which has welcomed many compatriots.
“During the mid-19th century, throughout the 20th century and now, it has received many Mexicans, so it is, in a way, a very small form (of support) because there are 72 forestry fighters and members of SEDENA, of Defense, who are part of the DN-III-E plan and who are specialists, so always our solidarity and support, particularly to this city, well, we are brothers,” the Mexican president stressed.
Sheinbaum also explained that, when the city's reconstruction process begins, "of course it will require labor, and there are no better construction workers than Mexicans."
Los Angeles Fire Count
Laura Velázquez Alzúa recalled that the wildfires in Southern California began on January 7, 2025 near the town of Palisades, in Los Angeles County, which was the result of a combination of extreme weather factors and adverse environmental conditions.
In the days leading up to the fire, the region experienced an intense heat wave accompanied by strong winds, creating an environment conducive to the rapid spread of the flames, according to the California government.
A Red Flag Warning has been issued for strong winds of 50 to 70 mph through Wednesday and very low humidity across much of Southern California from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. These conditions could increase the risk of rapid fire spread.
He also said that, according to information from the California government, there are three points where the fires are located: the largest is in Palisades, with an impact of more than 9,596 hectares and only 14 percent control; in Eaton, with an impact of 5,713 hectares and 33 percent control; and in Hurst, with an impact of 323 hectares and 95 percent control.
The damage caused by these three major events totals 15,632 hectares affected and 3,644 hectares damaged to hydraulic and energy infrastructure, as well as to housing. It was also reported that more than 70,000 people have been evacuated.
The United States government's resources consist of 15,000 elements, 1,460 fire trucks, 80 aircraft, 170 tankers and 175 heavy machinery.
On January 11, following instructions from the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, two aircraft of the Mexican Air Force took off from Santa Lucia bound for Los Angeles, California with a delegation from the Mexican government, made up of the National Defense, CONAFOR, the National Coordination of Civil Protection and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to support the response actions to the forest fires through a task force of 72 specialized elements.
"We are the first international delegation to join the response efforts to fight the fires in California," said the coordinator.
Today, in the #MañaneraDelPueblo, the owner of the #CNPC, @laualzua, reported on the actions carried out by the Mexican team in support of fighting the fires in California.
“We are the first international delegation to join the response efforts” 🇲🇽🤝🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/EszlsQyD8m
— National Civil Protection Coordination (@CNPC_MX) January 14, 2025
That same Saturday, the Mexican delegation arrived at Los Angeles International Airport and was received by the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, who thanked the Mexican government and its president for their support in dealing with the fires.
The delegation traveled to the logistics center in Viewmont, California, which is fully equipped with all essential supplies to support the personnel responding to the emergency.
The following day, Sunday, January 12, the Mexican delegation of firefighters and civil protection specialists reported prepared for the incident command post, where the California government supplemented the Mexican team's ground combat equipment.
On Sunday, there was a briefing led by technical staff from the California Fire Department, where a binational coordination protocol was established, the objective of which is to optimize joint strategies in fighting fires. There, experiences from both countries were shared and these fires in California could be faced together, in unity and respect.
They also went to the monitoring and supervision area, where the deployment of air and land resources is coordinated in order to learn about the operating protocols.
On Monday, January 13, the Mexican delegation arrived at the command post, joining the operational structure to support the response actions and the evaluation of the capabilities of the Mexican team, where the following operations were assigned: the National Forestry Commission to carry out fire management tasks and the Secretariat of National Defense to carry out search and rescue work, while the CNPC collaborates in forest fire mitigation efforts together with local authorities.
The Defense Emergency Response Battalion is contributing to the California government's fire department in a coordinated manner with specific tasks.
You may be interested in: California Governor Receives and Thanks Mexico for Help in Confronting Catastrophic Fires
