Trump throws new all-caps Truth Social tantrum blaming Democrats for California fires
Sarah K. Burris
January 8, 2025
RAW STORY
Donald Trump press conference at Trump Tower / Shutterstock
President-elect Donald Trump continued his rants about the California wildfires on Wednesday afternoon by once again blaming the ordeal on Democrats.
Trump for years has claimed that California is suffering from fires because it does not properly "rake" its forests, which was a theme he continued when it comes to the current fire despite the fact that it started in a residential area.
"As of this moment, Gavin Newscum and his Los Angeles crew have contained exactly ZERO percent of the fire. It is burning at levels that even surpass last night. This is not Government. I can’t wait till January 20th!" Trump first posted.
A few moments later, he raged: "NO WATER IN THE FIRE HYDRANTS, NO MONEY IN FEMA. THIS IS WHAT JOE BIDEN IS LEAVING ME. THANKS JOE!"
Also Read: Trump Cabinet pick raises alarm on unchecked domestic terrorism
FEMA continues to dispel the myth that they don't have any funds to aid Americans in disasters. This particular myth began after hurricanes hit Florida and the east coast this past fall.
The Palisades Fire largely burned populated areas like Santa Monica, Malibu, and the Pacific Palisades. Fire officials said that they are investigating the cause of the blaze that began around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The California fire chief briefed the press and President Joe Biden on Wednesday, saying that in her 25-year career, she's never seen winds that strong. She explained that firefighters are being forced to lean into the wind just to continue standing and holding a firehose.
The police chief echoed the comments, saying, "I've never seen anything like this."
Southern California is suffering from drought conditions and strong Santa Ana winds. The National Weather Service announced on Monday that the winds were coming and that they would be powerful and destructive.
"The combination of low humidity, dry fuels and shifting winds has heightened the potential for spot fires and rapid expansion," Cal Fire said in an update.
'Far right doesn't like facts': Outrage as MAGA blames DEI for wildfire devastation
Erik De La Garza
January 8, 2025
Erik De La Garza
January 8, 2025
RAW STORY
A U.S flag flies as fire engulfs a structure while the Palisades Fire burns during a windstorm on the west side of Los Angeles, January 7. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu
Conservative condemnation of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives reached new heights Wednesday when MAGA world laid blame on its frequent boogeyman for the disastrous California wildfires.
And political observers across social media are taking note.
The internet began to chime in Wednesday evening when it became clear that conservatives were baselessly attacking DEI for yet another catastrophe days after connecting the bloody New Orleans ramming attack to the same initiatives.
“Conservatives and Donald Trump Jr out here blaming the devastating fires on DEI,” journalist Wajahat Ali wrote to his Bluesky followers. “Not climate change or other environmental factors. Nope. DEI. They never miss an opportunity to be hateful.”
“Much like the discourse that followed the fires in Canada and Hawaii in recent years, conspiracy theorists are blaming the California fires on DEI, homelessness, ‘anti-whiteness’ and weather modification,” Sara Aniano, a disinformation analyst at the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, posted to her Bluesky account. “Conspiracy theorists always recycle, and the internet always rewards.”
Other users took to social media to respond to tech billionaire and Donald Trump ally Elon Musk’s remark that the LA Fire Department “prioritized DEI over saving lives and homes.”
“Whenever there is a tragedy, you can count on Musk to argue that the root of the problem is not enough white people are in charge,” Progressive journalist Judd Legum posted Wednesday on Bluesky above a screenshot of Musk’s X post.
“Speaking as someone whose life is currently being saved by the LA firefighters, I think they're doing fine,” writer Alex Kirshner told his followers on Bluesky.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) defended DEI initiatives during a CNN panel discussion after some on the right questioned Los Angeles Fire Department Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.
“I am so tired,” Crockett said. “And the fact that people actually decide that they want to engage in public service – whether it's sitting in Congress or whether it's serving on the fire department or the police department – should not be an issue. The fact is, stop trying to act as if only white men are the ones that are capable because right now you're sitting at a table with three very capable Black women."
The progressive advocacy group Public Citizen wrote in an X post that climate change was the real culprit behind the fires that have killed at least five and destroyed hundreds of structures.
“Climate change is making natural disasters like wildfires worse & more frequent. Full stop,” the group told its followers. “But the far right doesn't like facts, so they'll blame everything else, even DEI and Ukraine. Instead, they'll keep letting Big Oil kill the planet and find a new scapegoat.”
A U.S flag flies as fire engulfs a structure while the Palisades Fire burns during a windstorm on the west side of Los Angeles, January 7. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu
Conservative condemnation of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives reached new heights Wednesday when MAGA world laid blame on its frequent boogeyman for the disastrous California wildfires.
And political observers across social media are taking note.
The internet began to chime in Wednesday evening when it became clear that conservatives were baselessly attacking DEI for yet another catastrophe days after connecting the bloody New Orleans ramming attack to the same initiatives.
“Conservatives and Donald Trump Jr out here blaming the devastating fires on DEI,” journalist Wajahat Ali wrote to his Bluesky followers. “Not climate change or other environmental factors. Nope. DEI. They never miss an opportunity to be hateful.”
“Much like the discourse that followed the fires in Canada and Hawaii in recent years, conspiracy theorists are blaming the California fires on DEI, homelessness, ‘anti-whiteness’ and weather modification,” Sara Aniano, a disinformation analyst at the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, posted to her Bluesky account. “Conspiracy theorists always recycle, and the internet always rewards.”
Other users took to social media to respond to tech billionaire and Donald Trump ally Elon Musk’s remark that the LA Fire Department “prioritized DEI over saving lives and homes.”
“Whenever there is a tragedy, you can count on Musk to argue that the root of the problem is not enough white people are in charge,” Progressive journalist Judd Legum posted Wednesday on Bluesky above a screenshot of Musk’s X post.
“Speaking as someone whose life is currently being saved by the LA firefighters, I think they're doing fine,” writer Alex Kirshner told his followers on Bluesky.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) defended DEI initiatives during a CNN panel discussion after some on the right questioned Los Angeles Fire Department Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.
“I am so tired,” Crockett said. “And the fact that people actually decide that they want to engage in public service – whether it's sitting in Congress or whether it's serving on the fire department or the police department – should not be an issue. The fact is, stop trying to act as if only white men are the ones that are capable because right now you're sitting at a table with three very capable Black women."
The progressive advocacy group Public Citizen wrote in an X post that climate change was the real culprit behind the fires that have killed at least five and destroyed hundreds of structures.
“Climate change is making natural disasters like wildfires worse & more frequent. Full stop,” the group told its followers. “But the far right doesn't like facts, so they'll blame everything else, even DEI and Ukraine. Instead, they'll keep letting Big Oil kill the planet and find a new scapegoat.”
TRUMP'S GREEK CHORUS
'Newson may be criminally responsible': MTG suggests CA gov may face charges over fires
Daniel Hampton
January 8, 2025
A staircase remains standing amid the ruins of a burnt structure along the Pacific Coast Highway, as powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area force people to evacuate, in Malibu, California, U.S. January 8, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
A firebrand MAGA Republican said Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) may be "criminally responsible" for the raging wildfires near Los Angeles that so far have scorched more than 25,000 acres and left at least five people dead.
The fast-moving infernos have forced more than 80,000 to evacuate. The two largest fires in the area, the Palisades and Eaton fires, were zero percent contained as of Wednesday evening.
Fire officials have estimated that the Palisades Fire destroyed 1,000 buildings. Over 300,000 homes and businesses were without power in the region.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) on Wednesday night suggested Newsom could face criminal charges over the devastation.
"Governor Newson may be criminally responsible for these California wildfires. As governor, Newsom has literally dismantled every responsible way to combat these devastating deadly wildfires. California, you need to choose new leadership and hold your current leaders accountable," she wrote on X, misspelling the governor's name.
In a separate post, Greene said that her "prayers go out to everyone in Southern California dealing with these raging fires" — but that she's "also angry it is even happening." She again faulted Newsom.
ALSO READ: Trump intel advisor Devin Nunes still dismisses Russian election meddling as a 'hoax'
"Governor Gavin Newsom failed so miserably in water and land management, and now the State of Canada is sending firefighting planes to bail him out," she said, before taking a shot at President Joe Biden. "And while Los Angeles is burning in the Pacific Palisades fire due to horrific Democrat mismanagement, Joe Biden is set to announce half a billion dollars in additional aid to Ukraine."
Biden, she said, is "putting America Last constantly in her time of need."
Greene, no stranger to controversial statements, said in 2018 that a massive wildfire in the state was ignited by a "laser beam or a light beam" from space.
“If they are beaming the suns energy back to Earth, I’m sure they wouldn’t ever miss a transmitter receiving station right??!! I mean mistakes are never made when anything new is invented. What would that look like anyway? A laser beam or light beam coming down to Earth I guess. Could that cause a fire? Hmmm, I don’t know. I hope not! That wouldn’t look so good for PG&E, Rothschild Inc, Solaren or Jerry Brown who sure does seem fond of PG&E," she wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post.
'Newson may be criminally responsible': MTG suggests CA gov may face charges over fires
Daniel Hampton
January 8, 2025
A staircase remains standing amid the ruins of a burnt structure along the Pacific Coast Highway, as powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area force people to evacuate, in Malibu, California, U.S. January 8, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
A firebrand MAGA Republican said Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) may be "criminally responsible" for the raging wildfires near Los Angeles that so far have scorched more than 25,000 acres and left at least five people dead.
The fast-moving infernos have forced more than 80,000 to evacuate. The two largest fires in the area, the Palisades and Eaton fires, were zero percent contained as of Wednesday evening.
Fire officials have estimated that the Palisades Fire destroyed 1,000 buildings. Over 300,000 homes and businesses were without power in the region.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) on Wednesday night suggested Newsom could face criminal charges over the devastation.
"Governor Newson may be criminally responsible for these California wildfires. As governor, Newsom has literally dismantled every responsible way to combat these devastating deadly wildfires. California, you need to choose new leadership and hold your current leaders accountable," she wrote on X, misspelling the governor's name.
In a separate post, Greene said that her "prayers go out to everyone in Southern California dealing with these raging fires" — but that she's "also angry it is even happening." She again faulted Newsom.
ALSO READ: Trump intel advisor Devin Nunes still dismisses Russian election meddling as a 'hoax'
"Governor Gavin Newsom failed so miserably in water and land management, and now the State of Canada is sending firefighting planes to bail him out," she said, before taking a shot at President Joe Biden. "And while Los Angeles is burning in the Pacific Palisades fire due to horrific Democrat mismanagement, Joe Biden is set to announce half a billion dollars in additional aid to Ukraine."
Biden, she said, is "putting America Last constantly in her time of need."
Greene, no stranger to controversial statements, said in 2018 that a massive wildfire in the state was ignited by a "laser beam or a light beam" from space.
“If they are beaming the suns energy back to Earth, I’m sure they wouldn’t ever miss a transmitter receiving station right??!! I mean mistakes are never made when anything new is invented. What would that look like anyway? A laser beam or light beam coming down to Earth I guess. Could that cause a fire? Hmmm, I don’t know. I hope not! That wouldn’t look so good for PG&E, Rothschild Inc, Solaren or Jerry Brown who sure does seem fond of PG&E," she wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post.
Watch: Fox News reporter fact checks Trump's uninformed rants about California fires
Brad Reed
January 8, 2025
Brad Reed
January 8, 2025
RAW STORY
President of the United States Donald Trump (Shutterstock)
Fox News senior national correspondent William La Jeunesse on Wednesday pushed back when anchor John Roberts asked him about President-elect Donald Trump's comments about devastating fires consuming California.
As La Jeunesse was covering the fires live from Malibu, Roberts asked him about why California had supposedly left itself open to such a disaster by not following Trump's recommendations for "clearing underbrush to make sure that the forests' floors were clean."
"Why does this keep happening again and again?" Roberts demanded to know.
La Jeunesse paused for a couple of seconds before answering.
"Number one, this fire... started in a residential area," he replied. "That didn't have anything to do with the wild fires that we often see that start in the national forest or in what we call the urban-rural interface where a lot of people have moved into and where, frankly, they don't take proper care."
La Jeunesse then added that California right now has a "year-round fire season" because "we've had marginal rain the last few months."
"I think you can blame California on some things," he acknowledged. "But other things, I don't want to say it's Mother Nature, I haven't looked at the total statistics for acres burned, but in a situation like this, as I said, where it starts in the middle of a community, you're going to have problems."
President of the United States Donald Trump (Shutterstock)
Fox News senior national correspondent William La Jeunesse on Wednesday pushed back when anchor John Roberts asked him about President-elect Donald Trump's comments about devastating fires consuming California.
As La Jeunesse was covering the fires live from Malibu, Roberts asked him about why California had supposedly left itself open to such a disaster by not following Trump's recommendations for "clearing underbrush to make sure that the forests' floors were clean."
"Why does this keep happening again and again?" Roberts demanded to know.
La Jeunesse paused for a couple of seconds before answering.
"Number one, this fire... started in a residential area," he replied. "That didn't have anything to do with the wild fires that we often see that start in the national forest or in what we call the urban-rural interface where a lot of people have moved into and where, frankly, they don't take proper care."
La Jeunesse then added that California right now has a "year-round fire season" because "we've had marginal rain the last few months."
"I think you can blame California on some things," he acknowledged. "But other things, I don't want to say it's Mother Nature, I haven't looked at the total statistics for acres burned, but in a situation like this, as I said, where it starts in the middle of a community, you're going to have problems."
'This is insanity!' Critics pounce on Trump for mocking California amid fires
Brad Reed
January 8, 2025
RAW STORY
Donald Trump speaks during a rally aboard the Battleship USS Iowa in San Pedro. (Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com)
President-elect Donald Trump's decision to attack California Gov. Gavin Newsom while his state is suffering from catastrophic wildfires has drawn the ire of many online critics.
In the wake of a Wednesday Truth Social post, in which Trump labeled the California governor "Newscum" and blamed him personally for the fires, many critics expressed fury, but not surprise, that the president-elect would use a horrific tragedy to lob attacks at his political rivals.
"I hope he has a massive stroke," raged the anonymous X account that goes by the name of Spiro's Ghost. "He is a deeply sick man."
"Whatever the crisis Trump can be relied on to say and do the wrong thing," wrote former Republican political strategist Mark Salter. "Unfailingly."
National security journalist Kevin Baron, meanwhile, marveled that Trump took time in his rant about the fires to insult the smelt, a fish that the president-elect deemed as "worthless."
Over on BlueSky, Naval War College professor David Burbach slammed Trump for his ignorance about the causes of the fires.
"This is insanity," he wrote. "Increased pumping of water through the aqueduct to Central Valley farms and LA urban lawns would have done absolutely nothing for the dry chaparral mountainsides. Is the Trump admin going to pay to install lawn sprinklers up and down the San Gabriels???"
Former TV meteorologist Brad Carl took a whack at Americans who think that taunting states undergoing natural disasters was a desirable trait in a president.
"I just can't believe that half of America wanted a guy like this at the top to treat fellow Americans like this (ones especially dealing with ongoing, horrific disasters in this way)," he wrote.
And journalist Jon Schwarz expressed astonishment that conservatives' reactions to the massive fires was to triple down on climate change denial.
"I used to think that when global warming truly began to bite, deniers would face reality and we could act," he wrote. "Now I think it's more likely it will lead to a kind of fascism that will respond to global warming by, like, executing everyone who says global warming is real
This is insanity. Increased pumping of water through the aqueduct to Central Valley farms and LA urban lawns would have done absolutely nothing for the dry chaparral mountainsides. Is the Trump admin going to pay to install lawn sprinkers up and down the San Gabriels???
'People literally lost everything': CNN conservative faces blowback over Trump defense
Travis Gettys
January 9, 2025
RAW STORY
CNN
CNN panelists faced off over Donald Trump's political attacks on California Gov. Gavin Newsom over the wildfires devastating the Los Angeles area.
Conservative commentator Scott Jennings justified the attack, saying that Democrats' leadership in the state was at least partially to blame for the destruction.
"If I were a California Democrat, I would also be screaming politicization because I wouldn't want anybody drawing attention to my management of this or decision-making either," Jennings said. "I don't think it's politicizing anything to draw attention to public policy choices, and whether the governor or whether the mayor of L.A., whether you're looking at things that happen in the city, such as cutting the firefighter budget, whether you're looking at issues, like, because it's California, they can't manage to build water storage, which would have come in handy on this. I think if I lived out there, I would have these questions right now, too."
"Congress, by the way, is going to spend a bunch of money here, which they're going to need to do, some of these issues need to be addressed," Jennings added, "so the fact that Trump is bringing them up now is actually, I think, most taxpayers are going to want to see policy changes so that we don't have to repeat of this in the future."
California native Meghan Hays, a former White House staffer for president Joe Biden, said water issues in the state were far more complicated than Trump and Jennings had portrayed it.
"These water fights have been older than I am, and the longest time, and I'm from northern California, so there's always the fight [over] the water," Hays said. "But L.A. doesn't actually get most of its water from northern California, it gets it from the Colorado River. But needless to say, you are right on these some of these policy decisions, and that's fair to look at. I just, you know, you say you want to the president-elect wants to get along with the governor, but calling him 'Newscum' is probably not the best way to do that. But I agree that people should look at their policy decisions, but I don't think now is the time to do that."
"People literally have lost everything they have, and these urban fires are not something that California is used to," Hays added. "We're used to wildfires, and so I think there is a little bit different argument here."
Watch below or click here.
Travis Gettys
January 9, 2025
RAW STORY
CNN
CNN panelists faced off over Donald Trump's political attacks on California Gov. Gavin Newsom over the wildfires devastating the Los Angeles area.
Conservative commentator Scott Jennings justified the attack, saying that Democrats' leadership in the state was at least partially to blame for the destruction.
"If I were a California Democrat, I would also be screaming politicization because I wouldn't want anybody drawing attention to my management of this or decision-making either," Jennings said. "I don't think it's politicizing anything to draw attention to public policy choices, and whether the governor or whether the mayor of L.A., whether you're looking at things that happen in the city, such as cutting the firefighter budget, whether you're looking at issues, like, because it's California, they can't manage to build water storage, which would have come in handy on this. I think if I lived out there, I would have these questions right now, too."
"Congress, by the way, is going to spend a bunch of money here, which they're going to need to do, some of these issues need to be addressed," Jennings added, "so the fact that Trump is bringing them up now is actually, I think, most taxpayers are going to want to see policy changes so that we don't have to repeat of this in the future."
California native Meghan Hays, a former White House staffer for president Joe Biden, said water issues in the state were far more complicated than Trump and Jennings had portrayed it.
"These water fights have been older than I am, and the longest time, and I'm from northern California, so there's always the fight [over] the water," Hays said. "But L.A. doesn't actually get most of its water from northern California, it gets it from the Colorado River. But needless to say, you are right on these some of these policy decisions, and that's fair to look at. I just, you know, you say you want to the president-elect wants to get along with the governor, but calling him 'Newscum' is probably not the best way to do that. But I agree that people should look at their policy decisions, but I don't think now is the time to do that."
"People literally have lost everything they have, and these urban fires are not something that California is used to," Hays added. "We're used to wildfires, and so I think there is a little bit different argument here."
Watch below or click here.
'We have lost everything': Despair in the Los Angeles fires
Agence France-Presse
January 9, 2025
Swathes of the Los Angeles area have been ravaged by violent fires that have killed at least five people (Robyn Beck/AFP)
by Sébastien VUAGNAT
Homes reduced to ashes, businesses in flames, and in the midst of the devastation, haggard residents: the California city of Altadena, ravaged Wednesday by a violent fire, looked like an area that has just been bombed.
"This was our home," William Gonzales told AFP, pointing to smouldering ruins where only embers and a chimney remain.
"We have lost practically everything," he sighed. "The flames have consumed all our dreams."
Swathes of the Los Angeles area have been ravaged since Tuesday by violent fires that have killed at least five people.
More than 100,000 people have been told to flee their homes in the face of flames and violent winds that have gusted up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour.
In Altadena, behind the mountains north of Los Angeles, firefighters have been overwhelmed by the scale of a blaze that has already destroyed around 500 buildings, including many homes.
On Wednesday, the streets were filled with ash, with buildings everywhere in flames.
AFP met a shopkeeper in his sixties who was crying in front of the ruins of his liquor store.
"This was my whole life," he sobbed.
A dazed Jesus Hernandez said he did not know if his parents would be compensated for their $1.3 million house.
"Hopefully the insurance can pay for most of it, if not, then we're going to have to stay with friends or someone," he said.
- Water cut -
Fires have sprouted all over the Los Angeles area in little more than 24 hours, with the latest breaking out in the Hollywood Hills, mere yards (meters) from storied Hollywood Boulevard.
Vicious winds have flung embers up to 2.5 miles (4 kilometers), sparking new spot fires faster than firefighters can quell them.
The Santa Ana winds that are currently blowing are a classic part of Californian autumns and winters.
But this week, they have reached an intensity not seen since 2011, according to meteorologists.
That has combined with tinder dry countryside to create the perfect fire storm -- and a nightmare for firefighters who have also struggled with water supplies.
In the Pacific Palisades fire, hydrants stopped working after massive storage tanks ran dry.
David Stewart said he was not prepared to just surrender his neighborhood to the flames.
"The county turned off our water supply so we're out there with shovels throwing dirt on fires," he told AFP.
"We saved I think three neighbors' houses so far but the fires are still moving towards our house."
He struggled to make sense of the area he has lived his whole life.
"This was a just a little antique shop, a pizza place. These places have been here forever, ever since I've been alive."
A fretful Jesse Banks was trying to make contact with his son, who had fled the flames earlier in the day.
"My son left the house before us on foot, he doesn't have a cell phone or anything like that, so I'm searching for him now," he said.
"I've lived in this area for over 20 years and we've seen fires in the mountains and the hills and that, but never anything like this."
The fight is far from over.
Wind speeds were expected to moderate, but a Red Flag warning -- alerting residents to high fire risk -- was set to remain in place until Friday evening.
Amid the catastrophe, scientists' warnings, which regularly remind us that humanity's dependence on fossil fuels is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme events, are being felt in the flesh.
"It's probably climate change affecting everything," said shop owner Debbie Collins.
"I'm sure it's added to it, made this happen. The world's just in a really bad place and we need to do more."
© Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
January 9, 2025
Swathes of the Los Angeles area have been ravaged by violent fires that have killed at least five people (Robyn Beck/AFP)
by Sébastien VUAGNAT
Homes reduced to ashes, businesses in flames, and in the midst of the devastation, haggard residents: the California city of Altadena, ravaged Wednesday by a violent fire, looked like an area that has just been bombed.
"This was our home," William Gonzales told AFP, pointing to smouldering ruins where only embers and a chimney remain.
"We have lost practically everything," he sighed. "The flames have consumed all our dreams."
Swathes of the Los Angeles area have been ravaged since Tuesday by violent fires that have killed at least five people.
More than 100,000 people have been told to flee their homes in the face of flames and violent winds that have gusted up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour.
In Altadena, behind the mountains north of Los Angeles, firefighters have been overwhelmed by the scale of a blaze that has already destroyed around 500 buildings, including many homes.
On Wednesday, the streets were filled with ash, with buildings everywhere in flames.
AFP met a shopkeeper in his sixties who was crying in front of the ruins of his liquor store.
"This was my whole life," he sobbed.
A dazed Jesus Hernandez said he did not know if his parents would be compensated for their $1.3 million house.
"Hopefully the insurance can pay for most of it, if not, then we're going to have to stay with friends or someone," he said.
- Water cut -
Fires have sprouted all over the Los Angeles area in little more than 24 hours, with the latest breaking out in the Hollywood Hills, mere yards (meters) from storied Hollywood Boulevard.
Vicious winds have flung embers up to 2.5 miles (4 kilometers), sparking new spot fires faster than firefighters can quell them.
The Santa Ana winds that are currently blowing are a classic part of Californian autumns and winters.
But this week, they have reached an intensity not seen since 2011, according to meteorologists.
That has combined with tinder dry countryside to create the perfect fire storm -- and a nightmare for firefighters who have also struggled with water supplies.
In the Pacific Palisades fire, hydrants stopped working after massive storage tanks ran dry.
David Stewart said he was not prepared to just surrender his neighborhood to the flames.
"The county turned off our water supply so we're out there with shovels throwing dirt on fires," he told AFP.
"We saved I think three neighbors' houses so far but the fires are still moving towards our house."
He struggled to make sense of the area he has lived his whole life.
"This was a just a little antique shop, a pizza place. These places have been here forever, ever since I've been alive."
A fretful Jesse Banks was trying to make contact with his son, who had fled the flames earlier in the day.
"My son left the house before us on foot, he doesn't have a cell phone or anything like that, so I'm searching for him now," he said.
"I've lived in this area for over 20 years and we've seen fires in the mountains and the hills and that, but never anything like this."
The fight is far from over.
Wind speeds were expected to moderate, but a Red Flag warning -- alerting residents to high fire risk -- was set to remain in place until Friday evening.
Amid the catastrophe, scientists' warnings, which regularly remind us that humanity's dependence on fossil fuels is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme events, are being felt in the flesh.
"It's probably climate change affecting everything," said shop owner Debbie Collins.
"I'm sure it's added to it, made this happen. The world's just in a really bad place and we need to do more."
© Agence France-Presse
'Inexplicable decision': Critics blast LA mayor over Ghana trip as wildfires ignited
Daniel Hampton
January 9, 2025
RAW STORY
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attends a press conference at an LA4LA permanent housing facility in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 9, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
The mayor of Los Angeles is facing intense backlash as internet critics question her glaring absence as raging infernos have killed at least five people and forced tens of thousands to evacuate.
Several fires scorched more than 25,000 acres late Wednesday and destroyed more than 1,000 buildings.
Karen Bass, a six-term congresswoman who became the first woman elected as mayor of Los Angeles in 2022 when she defeated billionaire developer Rick Caruso, was thousands of miles away on Tuesday as the wind-swept fires ignited.
Bass flew to Ghana on Saturday to celebrate the inauguration of its new president. As The Los Angeles Times noted, her departure coincided with the National Weather Service escalating warnings about the coming windstorm.
Despite arriving in Los Angeles on Wednesday, her early absence was glaring as state and local officials took stock of the carnage— and drew fierce criticism.
"Of course, you don’t go,” Caruso told Politico of her trip. “That’s not leadership, that’s abandoning your post.”
“Is it as bad as Ted Cruz going to Cancun? No. But it could be an indelible dent in her image,” an anonymous veteran Democratic consultant in Los Angeles told the outlet.
“Inexplicable decision to not come back earlier,” former Obama staffer and Pod Save America host Tommy Vietor wrote on X.
"LA Mayor Karen Bass has finally returned from a trip to Ghana, but it's concerning she went at all - & didn't return sooner - given forecasts of severe fire danger. It's a surprising concept, but local leaders are elected to lead locally," wrote San Francisco Chronicle columnist Emily Hoeven.
Bass addressed the criticism on Wednesday and urged her constituents to avoid politicizing the devastation, according to Politico.
“This is going to be an effort of all of us coming together, and we have to resist any effort to pull us apart,” she said, adding that she was on the phone coordinating with officials "every hour" during her flights back, including on a military plane.
“So although I was not physically here, I was in contact with many of the individuals that are standing here throughout the entire time,” she said. “When my flight landed, I immediately went to the fire zone and saw what happened in Pacific Palisades.”
January 9, 2025
RAW STORY
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attends a press conference at an LA4LA permanent housing facility in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 9, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
The mayor of Los Angeles is facing intense backlash as internet critics question her glaring absence as raging infernos have killed at least five people and forced tens of thousands to evacuate.
Several fires scorched more than 25,000 acres late Wednesday and destroyed more than 1,000 buildings.
Karen Bass, a six-term congresswoman who became the first woman elected as mayor of Los Angeles in 2022 when she defeated billionaire developer Rick Caruso, was thousands of miles away on Tuesday as the wind-swept fires ignited.
Bass flew to Ghana on Saturday to celebrate the inauguration of its new president. As The Los Angeles Times noted, her departure coincided with the National Weather Service escalating warnings about the coming windstorm.
Despite arriving in Los Angeles on Wednesday, her early absence was glaring as state and local officials took stock of the carnage— and drew fierce criticism.
"Of course, you don’t go,” Caruso told Politico of her trip. “That’s not leadership, that’s abandoning your post.”
“Is it as bad as Ted Cruz going to Cancun? No. But it could be an indelible dent in her image,” an anonymous veteran Democratic consultant in Los Angeles told the outlet.
“Inexplicable decision to not come back earlier,” former Obama staffer and Pod Save America host Tommy Vietor wrote on X.
"LA Mayor Karen Bass has finally returned from a trip to Ghana, but it's concerning she went at all - & didn't return sooner - given forecasts of severe fire danger. It's a surprising concept, but local leaders are elected to lead locally," wrote San Francisco Chronicle columnist Emily Hoeven.
Bass addressed the criticism on Wednesday and urged her constituents to avoid politicizing the devastation, according to Politico.
“This is going to be an effort of all of us coming together, and we have to resist any effort to pull us apart,” she said, adding that she was on the phone coordinating with officials "every hour" during her flights back, including on a military plane.
“So although I was not physically here, I was in contact with many of the individuals that are standing here throughout the entire time,” she said. “When my flight landed, I immediately went to the fire zone and saw what happened in Pacific Palisades.”
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