The heads of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, and of Foreign Relations (SRE), Juan Ramón de la Fuente, presented recognitions to the Mexican firefighters.
The ceremony, held at the facilities of the Military Area Base Number 1 of Santa Lucía, was also attended by Mark Cooldige Johnson, charge d’affaires of the United States Embassy in Mexico, and representatives of the National Coordination of Civil Protection and the National Commission Forestry (Conafor).
On January 11, the Mexican Humanitarian Aid Delegation traveled to Los Angeles to collaborate in putting out fires.
The authorities named this mission “Cehui,” because that Nahuatl word means “put out the fire.”
Mexican specialists carried out 451 inspections of collapsed structures and, in coordination with US authorities, located nine biological signs and one dead person.
In addition, they built 150 meters of firebreaks and put out 19 hot spots, after a search for hot spots over more than 24 kilometers, according to information from Sedena.
After days of effort in difficult terrain and extreme conditions, the forestry fighters of the @CONAFORwho brought the experience and commitment of #Mexico to Los Angeles, California. 🇲🇽🌲🤝 pic.twitter.com/9A6ryzvPWK
— CONAFOR (@CONAFOR)
January 25, 2025
“To those who made up the ‘Cehui’ delegation, I want to tell you that we are very proud that you have represented us in this mission, contributing your experience, capacity and skills,” declared the Secretary of Defense.
During the ceremony, he added that humanitarian collaboration between Mexico and the United States is common and that both nations have strengthened the exchange of information “with the purpose of guaranteeing the regional security of North America.”
He detailed that, between 1996 and 2025, Sedena has provided humanitarian aid on 96 occasions to 30 countries. The support in six of them has been to mitigate forest fires.
As of January 20, fires in Los Angeles have left at least 27 dead and thousands of homes destroyed. Additionally, 41,000 people remained under evacuation or warning orders, CNN reported.
The Palisades Fire was, as of that date, 59% contained, and the Eaton Fire was 87% contained. Both burned thousands of hectares.
