Authorities in Los Angeles say a Quebec water bomber is out of service after colliding with a drone while fighting wildfires Thursday.

A pair of Quebec water bombers and their crews have been helping since Tuesday to fight the massive fires north of downtown L.A., which have killed at least 10 people and burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures.

The L.A. County Fire Department says the plane known as Quebec 1 was struck by a civilian drone at 1 p.m., sustaining wing damage.

There were no injuries, but the fire department says the water bomber is still grounded.

It says the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, as flying drones in firefighting areas is a federal crime punishable by up to 12 months in prison or a fine of up to US$75,000.

Quebec planes are sent to California every fall as part of an annual contract that has been in place for more than 30 years.

Canada鈥檚 emergency preparedness minister says Canadian military personnel, their equipment and another 250 firefighters stand 鈥渞eady to support our American neighbours鈥� as wildfires devastate parts of Southern California.

Harjit Sajjan says in a social media post that 鈥淭eam Canada, with Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, is ready to deploy 250 firefighters, aircraft equipment and other resources as early as鈥� Thursday night.

Meanwhile, British Columbia Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said in a post on X that 鈥淐alifornia came to B.C. directly鈥� on Thursday to request 鈥渟enior-level expertise鈥� to work with U.S. officials 鈥渙n the front line.鈥�

鈥淐alifornia has supported us in our time of need, and we鈥檙e now able to reciprocate that support,鈥� Parmar said. 鈥淭his is of course a rapidly evolving situation, but we will deploy the resources that our partners need.鈥�

The pledges come as the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre said Thursday that the U.S. National Interagency Fire Centre asked for two of its CL-415 Skimmer Airtankers to join the fight against the fires.

鈥淭he request is being actioned but the delivery timeline is currently unavailable,鈥� the agency said in an email to The Canadian Press. 鈥淲e are also proactively working to identify potential resource availability, should more requests come in.

鈥淭he Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre extends its deepest condolences to all those affected by the ongoing wildfire situation in California. Canadians remain ready and eager to assist as requested.鈥�

Canadians caught in the fast-moving wildfires in Los Angeles 鈥� including several celebrities 鈥� described scenes of panic and horror as thousands of buildings go up in flames.

Romeo Petit, a Winnipeg firefighter, was staying in the foothills on the outskirts of Pasadena when he, his girlfriend and others were told to evacuate Tuesday. Winds were whipping embers everywhere and the fire was moving fast.

鈥淲e could see the flames. I鈥檝e never seen anything like it. It was a wall of flame,鈥� Petit recalled in a phone interview Thursday.

After grabbing items from the home and taking them to safety, Petit鈥檚 training kicked in.

He, his girlfriend and a friend went back and tried to protect the home they were staying in and other houses by dousing them with water from hoses and sprinklers.

鈥淲e grabbed whatever hose we could find and did what we had to do,鈥� Petit said.

They stayed for a few hours, wetting lawns and homes, he recalled, and left when it looked like the only road out was in danger of being cut off.

In the end, many houses in the immediate area were spared.

Officials have said hurricane-force winds began igniting one neighbourhood after another on Wednesday in the coastal area of Pacific Palisades and in Altadena, near Pasadena.

A new fire started Thursday in the San Fernando Valley near the West Hills neighbourhood and close to Ventura County, while Los Angeles County officials said the Eaton fire near Pasadena has burned as many as 5,000 structures, including vehicles.

Thousands more have been burned in Pacific Palisades, and five people have died so far 鈥� a number expected to rise as cadaver dogs and search crews search through rubble, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

More than 100,000 people have been forced from their homes and famous landmarks have come under threat.

Toronto-born multidisciplinary artist Krys Tabujara said they had to evacuate their Los Feliz home, near the Hollywood Hills, after a fire broke out nearby Wednesday.

鈥淚鈥檝e never experienced a fire so close, especially with how big they were growing and so quickly,鈥� said Tabujara, who has been living in L.A. for eight years.

鈥淚t was really wild. I was like, 鈥業鈥檓 not sticking around for this.鈥欌��

Tabujara also described a sky thick with black smoke as they drove to San Diego to stay with family for the night.

鈥淭he sky looked really apocalyptic,鈥� they said. 鈥淭here was ash in the air like it was snowing. The sunset looked like something from Star Wars.鈥�

Pacific Palisades resident Nadia Williamson said Thursday she found out her home burned down after receiving an image of what was left of her property.

鈥淲here my house is, there鈥檚 just a chimney standing there,鈥� Williamson said in a phone interview from Los Angeles.

鈥淚t looks like the apocalypse.鈥�

Several Canadian entertainers in the area have also been affected, as 鈥淪tar Trek: Discovery鈥� actor Elias Toufexis said he was forced from his Calabasas home due to small fires at the top of his street.

Toufexis described flames driven by winds so strong that they almost knocked him over.

鈥淚 weigh 200 pounds. I stepped out of my house and I was getting knocked over,鈥� he said.

Canadian media personality George Stroumboulopoulos said eight people, two dogs and a cat took refuge in his Los Angeles home after he opened his doors to friends caught in the wildfires.

Stroumboulopoulos said he has no plans to leave unless forced to evacuate.

鈥淣o one knocked on my door last night to ask me to leave,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey knocked on the door to come in. And I think that鈥檚 why we stay.鈥�

Back in Canada, Alberta is preparing to send water bombers, night-vision helicopters and incident command team support.

Premier Danielle Smith said on social media that the province was working with the agency and the federal government to assess California鈥檚 needs.

鈥淕ood neighbours are always there for each other in times of need, and we will assist our American friends in any way they need during this crisis,鈥� Smith said.

Smith has been on a recent charm offensive with American media outlets and elected officials, emphasizing the strong ties between Canada and the United States.

She has been careful not to denounce president-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 threat of tariffs on Canadian imports or a declaration that he intends to annex Canada through 鈥渆conomic force.鈥�

Other provinces have also offered help to battle the fires ravaging parts of Los Angeles.

Water-bombing pilots and crews from Quebec and a British Columbia company are already fighting the wind-whipped flames.