Taiwan donates US$1m to Los Angeles for wildfire relief

Los Angeles, Feb. 9 (CNA) Taiwan's representative office in Los Angeles and the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce have jointly donated US$1 million to firefighting units in Los Angeles to support the wildfire relief efforts there.

The donation was made Sunday to representatives from the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and the Arcadia Fire Foundation, at a ceremony at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles (TECO-LA).

TECO-LA Director General Amino Chi (紀欽耀) and World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce President Kenneth Wu (吳光宜) presented the US$1 million donation, on behalf of Taiwan's government and the business organization, respectively, the office said in a statement.

California Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter of thanks to Chi, expressing gratitude on behalf of the California people for Taiwan's "invaluable assistance for our state during one of our greatest times of need," according to the statement.

"Emergencies have no borders, and the timely outpouring of support from Taiwan was profoundly appreciated by the people of Los Angeles and communities across the state of California," he wrote, according to TECO-LA.

Los Angeles County Supervisor and Chairwoman Kathryn Barger also sent a letter, thanking Taiwan for its partnership and assistance, the statement said.

The wildfires, which started on Jan. 7, were not fully contained for three weeks, during which they ravaged the Los Angeles area, causing widespread devastation, TECO-LA said.

The fires resulted in 29 deaths, the destruction of over 16,000 buildings, and the displacement of tens of thousands of residents, the office said, noting that the worst hit areas were those devastated by the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles City and the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles County.

On Jan. 16, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) pledged a donation of US$500,000 to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation to help with the relief efforts.

Additionally, the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce launched a fundraising campaign, collecting over US$500,000, which was donated to the Arcadia Fire Department Foundation in Los Angeles County, near the Eaton Fire area, according to TECO-LA.

On Sunday, Chen Suen (孫振傑), chief of the Arcadia Fire Department, accepted the chamber's donation of US$500,000, on behalf of the Los Angeles Fire Departments.

The donation was very important, Suen said, adding that the Arcadia Fire Department had long dreamed of building a regional fire training center for firefighters from neighboring towns.

Suen, who was born in the central Taiwan city of Taichung and moved to the United States with his parents at the age of 1, expressed gratitude for Taiwan's support and generosity and said he was proud of his Taiwanese heritage.