Yes, the Los Angeles County Fire Department donated surplus equipment to Ukraine in March 2022. On March 17, 2022, the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) announced it was donating “surplus” equipment to help first responders in Ukraine.

Comments about the donations have been shared on social media as firefighters battle multiple devastating blazes in the Los Angeles region.

Pro-Kremlin social media accounts and outlets have been spreading a baseless narrative that mansions belonging to Ukrainian officials burned down in Los Angeles.

Small canvas bags that Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighters used as makeshift water containers to quickly put out a trash fire have been misdescribed on social media as women’s handbags, suggesting the LAFD is under-resourced because of budget cuts and donations of firefighting supplies to Ukraine.

On March 17, 2022, the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) announced it was donating “surplus” equipment to help first responders in Ukraine. The surplus equipment included “hoses ...

The LAFD said the footage shows its team putting out a fire using canvas bags, which are part of the department's standard equipment, not handbags.

Canada, Mexico, Ukraine and Iran have all offered support to Los Angeles as wildfires continue to destroy the Californian city's landscape and infrastructure. Newsweek has contacted the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom for comment and updates on help that has been sent to the state.

Amid efforts to contain the fiery blazes sweeping through Los Angeles, some internet users called out the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) for donating surplus equipment to Ukraine, implying that the donations have hindered ongoing firefighting efforts.

In the wake of multiple wildfires that have torched tens of thousands of acres and, authorities say, left at least two dozen dead in Los Angeles County ... the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire ...

As wildfires continue to ravage California, social media is flooded with misinformation about their origins and impacts. DW investigates the most viral claims.