DISINFO: Californian fire crews failed to fight fires due to shortage of equipment after donations to Ukraine
SUMMARY
The inaction of fire crews in California is explained by various reasons. One of them is the transfer of some equipment to Ukraine. There is no exact information, as the proper functioning of government agencies is paralysed while awaiting a change in the presidency.
RESPONSE
An unfounded conspiracy theory and baseless claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and is presented without any supporting evidence. This is a disingenuous attempt to exploit the California wildfires to promote a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative against sending international aid to Ukraine, by portraying it as detrimental for the donor.
Wildfires, propelled by gusty winds, have devastated large areas of the Los Angeles region in January 2025, destroying homes and businesses. The causes of the fires remain under investigation, according to the California Forestry and Fire Protection Department. More than 7,500 firefighting and emergency personnel have been deployed to fight the unprecedented Los Angeles fires.
The state government is putting all available resources into fighting these wildfires, including leveraging local and federal assets. The Governor issued an executive order to support communities affected by the ongoing fires. On January 8, 2025, President Joe Biden quickly approved Governor Newsom’s request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to support ongoing response efforts. California’s emergency response to wildfire impacts has involved nearly every part of the state government.
While it is true that California has donated firefighting equipment in Ukraine since 2022, the allegation that this led to the state’s unpreparedness to fight the wave of fires of early 2025 is false. Experts have debunked the claim and stated that the reasons for this catastrophic situation are others, such as the lack of enough water. Ukraine has offered to send firefighters to Los Angeles.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation has a background of exploiting natural disasters with this aim, as happened before with wildfires in Hawaii in 2023 and Hurricane Helene in 2024. The reporting about the 2024 catastrophic floods in southern Poland similarly manipulatively suggested that destruction provoked by natural disaster was possible due to financial assistance that Poland has provided to Ukraine.
See also Ukraine aid crippled Denmark's defence, Blind support for Ukraine broke Germany, US military support to Ukraine is being misappropriated, The Netherlands do not want to support Ukraine.