Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has denied rejecting an offer from the FDNY to assist in fighting the area’s devastating fires, despite California officials claiming they lack sufficient firefighters, the NY Post reports.

In recent days, New York City Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker extended an offer of help to Bass, as five major fires continue to burn across Los Angeles and its surrounding areas, claiming at least 10 lives and destroying thousands of homes and businesses, sources told The Post on Friday.

JetBlue even volunteered to cover the cost of flights for the city’s firefighters, transporting them from New York to Los Angeles, according to sources.

However, the offers appear to have been ignored, as no orders have been given to deploy New York City fire crews to the West Coast, the sources added.

Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom accepted assistance from Mexico, expressing gratitude to President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday for the help, while additional firefighters from Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah arrived in the state on Thursday.

One source speculated that Bass may have hesitated to accept help from the FDNY because wildfire fighting is considered “a whole different beast” requiring specialized training, unlike the typical building fires that New York City firefighters usually handle.

Still, the apparent refusal left many in shock, particularly given that Los Angeles Fire Chief Anthony Marrone acknowledged Wednesday that his department was struggling with staffing shortages in the fight against the fires.

“LA County and all 29 fire departments in our county are not prepared for this kind of widespread disaster,” Marrone said.

“This is false, we have never rejected resources — LA welcomes any and all help to fight fires,” responded Zach Seidl, deputy mayor of communications, late Friday.

“There are not enough firefighters in LA County to address four separate fires of this magnitude,” he said, referring to the four ongoing blazes at the time.

“The LA County fire department was prepared for one or two major brush fires, but not four, especially given these sustained winds and low humidities,” Marrone added.

Additionally, the city admitted earlier this week that it had run out of water from its hydrants while battling the devastating Palisades Fire, due to mismanagement of the water supply and operational issues.

Bass, who was in Ghana when the fires broke out, has faced criticism for cutting the fire department’s budget by $18 million months before the fires began.

{Matzav.com}