The California National Guard is sending planes to help extinguish the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area and troops to stop looters preying on residents forced to flee their homes by the fast-moving flames.

More than 600 National Guard soldiers have been activated, including 200 military police officers tasked with providing security in neighborhoods that were burned to the ground. The National Guard is also providing 10 helicopters for firefighting and search-and-rescue operations and more than a dozen crews to clear debris that could add fuel to the fire.

Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters on Friday the number of military personnel is likely to grow in the next 24 hours.

U.S. Northern Command is sending eight C-130 aircraft equipped with the “Modular Aerial Fire Fighting System” (MAFFS), which allows a standard cargo aircraft to act as an aerial firefighter. The planes and crews are coming from National Guard units in California, Nevada, Wyoming and Colorado.

The first MAFFS-equipped C-130s were expected to go into action on Friday, with the remaining aircraft ready for duty over the weekend, officials said.

“U.S. Northern Command immediately took action as we watched and learned more about the fires in the Los Angeles area,” said Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command.

Ms. Singh said 500 active-duty Marines from Camp Pendleton, about 80 miles southeast of Los Angeles, will be assisting local officials with route clearance, search-and-rescue missions, and helicopter airlift operations.

“We are actively planning and preparing capabilities and resources, and are working closely with [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] and the state of California to provide support and to ensure a unified response to the wildfires,” Ms. Singh said.

The Navy is providing 10 helicopters capable of airlifting large water-filled buckets to be used against the fires, officials said.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.