Los Angeles Fires: Mexican Firefighters & Latinx Celebs Provide Aid

As Mexico came to Los Angeles' aid, Latinx celebs also took the time to support the comunidad

Mexico Firefighters LA Fires

Photo: X/@Claudiashein

The greater Los Angeles area has been engulfed in massive wildfires as of Jan. 7 caused by extremely dry conditions and high winds. Multiple fires throughout the area have affected neighborhoods including the Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, Sylmar, and Altadena and lead to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. Firefighters in southern California are struggling to keep the fires contained, and in response to the crisis, Mexico has sent over a crew of firefighters and disaster relief workers to assist local emergency workers and battle the wildfires. Mexico deployed more than 70 firefighters to Los Angeles over the weekend. After they arrived at LAX on Saturday, January 11, they received training to prepare them for the Palisades and Eaton Fires at the March Air Reserve in Riverside, about 50 miles southeast of downtown LA. Disaster relief workers from Mexico’s National Forestry Commission and Ministry of Defense also arrived to help emergency workers in California.

“At this moment, the humanitarian aid group is leaving for Los Angeles, California. We are a generous and supportive country. Thank you to the team… You carry with you the courage and heart of Mexico,” Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

https://twitter.com/Claudiashein/status/1878084010045329766

California Governor Gavin Newsom welcomed the Mexican firefighters as they landed. The crew joined the 12,000 personnel, which includes firefighters, the National Guard, and Military Police Forces, working the frontlines in firefighting efforts. As of Friday, January 17, the Palisades Fire, which is now 31 percent contained, has now burned through over 23,700 acres and has killed at least 10 people. The Eaton Fire, which is now 65 percent contained, has burned through over 14,100 acres and killed at least 17 people, making it one of the deadliest fires in California history.

Stay connected!

Subscribe now and get the latest on culture, empowerment, and more.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and Google Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service.

Thank You! You are already subscribed to our newsletter

“Emergencies have no borders – we are deeply grateful to our neighbors in Mexico for their unwavering support during one of our greatest times of need,” Newsom said in a statement. “Thank you to President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo for lending the best of the best.”

This isn’t the first time Mexico has come to California’s aid during massively destructive fires. When wildfires blazed through California back in September of 2020, Mexico sent over more than 100 firefighters to help tame the fires and provide aid.

Currently, over 170,000 people are still under evacuation orders, and thousands of people have been displaced and lost their homes. During this difficult time, Latinx celebrities like Mexican band Maná, Peso Pluma, and Eva Longoria have shown up for the Los Angeles community.

Iconic Mexican rock band Maná addressed the crisis in an Instagram post where frontman Fher Olvera announced that the group is supporting the Los Angeles Fire Department, the World Central Kitchen, the Lange Foundation, and the Pasadena Community Job Center and urged colleagues to help those affected.

“Los Angeles is like hell. There are devastating fires that are affecting the houses…it’s tremendous how the fire is raging,” Olvera said in the video. “For Maná, Los Angeles has been a second home and like family to us. Let’s donate and also calling the entire Mexican and Latin American community in the United States. We have to give today, whatever we can.”

Mexican American group Fuerza Regida, which hails from San Bernardino, announced that they rented out a hotel with space for more than 50 families for the next six days to support those who had to evacuate and lost their homes.

On the same day, música mexicana star Peso Pluma also expressed his support for the L.A. firefighters and the community in a video posted to his Instagram story; the Guadalajara native pledged a donation to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation.

“Here I am in California, which is my second home, very sad and sorry about what has been happening here in Los Angeles these past few days,” he said in Spanish in the video. “The hearts of Double P and Mexico are with Los Angeles, California. We have to support each other.”

Mexican American actress Eva Longoria and her nonprofit, the Eva Longoria Foundation, donated $1 million to the Latino Community Foundation and the California Community Foundation to address the immediate needs and long-term recovery of those affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires. She announced the donation, which comes from the $50 million Bezos Courage and Civility Award she was awarded in March, in an Instagram post.

Additionally, Longoria herself joined day laborer-led volunteer crews as they cleaned up the disaster left behind by the fires, picking up brush, fallen branches, and debris.

“Whether you’re rich, poor, documented, undocumented, Republican, Democrat, everybody is suffering, and to see so many people come together and throw that all out the window, that’s what I want people to see,” she told the Today Show‘s Jacob Soboroff.

Singer and TV personality Chiquis Rivera joined volunteers at the Santa Anita Park refuge in Arcadia near the Eaton Fire in the San Gabriel Valley and helped give out food and supplies to those impacted.

@rocknrollfoodie

The support has been amazing! Thank you to everybody!

♬ original sound – Foodie

Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández, the son of the Mexican icon Vicente Fernández, also took to Instagram to share a message of solidarity with the Los Angeles community. Additionally, he announced that he would be supporting the Los Angeles Fire Department and Wildfire Relief Fund 2025 to give back to the city.

“It breaks my heart to see the situation: the fires, the loss of life and property, the suffering. Today, I made a donation to help those affected and to the firefighters who are putting their lives at risk fighting this fire. It is in times like these that we show our strength in our sense of community,” Fernández wrote in Spanish on Instagram. “It’s time to give back to this magnificent city what it has given to so many of us. Los Angeles, we are with you. I love you.”

On January 16, Karol G joined those using their platforms to support those affected by the fires. La Bichota’s merch company announced that she will be selling special merchandise to support affected individuals, families, and resources.

“LA, you are in my heart. At @concorafoundation, we have joined forces with @iscreamcolor to create two pieces that represents solidarity with the people affected by one of the most devastating wildfires in California’s history,” Karol G’s merch company shared in an Instagram post. “This is an act of love and gratitude for a city that means so much to me and to all of us. Together, we can make a difference. Let’s unite and show Los Angeles that it’s in our hearts.”

The new merch includes a white hoodie with a blue heart saying “Los Angeles in our hearts,” as well as a white tote bag with the same design. According to the post, all of the proceeds from the special-edition merch will be donated to the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles to support those affected by the fires.

In this Article

alejandro fernandez Chiquis Rivera Claudia Sheinbaum Eaton Fire Eva Longoria Fuerza Regida Gavin Newsom Karol G Latinx celebrities los angeles Los Angeles County Los Angeles Fires Maná Mexican celebrities Mexican firefighters Mexican-American celebrities Mexico Palisades Fire Peso Pluma
More on this topic