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Mpumalanga Working on Fire dismisses circulating video as fake news

Working on Fire did not send any of their members to Los Angeles to fight fires.

Working on Fire has dismissed the video doing the rounds on social media claiming that South African firefighters were recently sent to assist fighting the ravaging fires in Los Angeles.

A video is currently circulating on Facebook showing members of Working on Fire South Africa singing and dancing with happiness.

The video is captioned: “A group of South African firefighters who have landed in Canada to make their way to Los Angeles to help.”

Working on Fire, an expanded public works programme aimed at providing work opportunities to young men and women in the fire industry, has dismissed the video as one of last year.

ALSO READ: Fourth WOF contingent returns home from Canada

“No firefighters from South Africa were sent to Los Angeles. The video circulating on social media is an old video of the team that had been sent to Canada last year. We do not have a memorandum of understanding with America, since they have an extensive team and equipment to fight fires,” said the provincial spokesperson for Working on Fire, Amanda Mthembu, in a written response on Monday, January 13.

ALSO READ: Mpumalanga firefighters off to Canada to battle wildfires

A Facebook user, Gayle Pinderhughes, simply wrote in the comment section below the video: “Misinformation. Please remove this post. This happened in July [2024] and has nothing to do with the current LA fires.”

Another reader, Tracy Katelman, said: “Beautiful, but surprising. South Africa is sending away crews during its high fire season, and via Canada?”

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