Even in the face of tragedy, President-Elect Donald Trump is finger-pointing. Hitting Truth Social, Trump blamed California Gov. Gavin Newsome, disrespecting his name by calling him “Newscum,” for the wildfires.
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the area that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump typed. “He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California.
“Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this.”
More devastating images from the #PalisadesFire. An unknown number of homes and other structures have been lost. The fire was last mapped at 2,900 acres but is likely much larger. Live coverage: https://t.co/0wfQNmlGWx
— KTLA (@KTLA) January 8, 2025
(AP Photos) pic.twitter.com/OOZFAt95uo
Los Angeles County is engulfed in wildfires, with the largest blaze roaring through the Pacific Palisades. The result is tens of thousands of people under evacuation orders.
According to CNN, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expects the wildfire conditions to “worsen” throughout Wednesday (Jan. 8) morning. Gov. Gavin Newsome has declared a state of emergency in the area.
Scenes across the county highlight abandoned cars in between Malibu and Santa Monica, which were eventually bulldozed so emergency personnel could make it to combat the fire.
The Palisades fire is burning through areas comparable to five football fields a minute and has already scorched 2,9000 acres. The area is now under an emergency, comparing the winds to a “tornado.”
Two men and a dog were trapped inside a home in the Pacific Palisades when the 2,900-acre fire hit their area https://t.co/pN4zPeW4FR pic.twitter.com/PoQ24oufKS
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) January 8, 2025
Fires are also present in the Hurst area, north of the San Fernando Valley, and another in Altadena, dubbed the Eaton fire, eviscerating 1,000 acres in hours.
Adding to the complication, over 200,000 homes and buildings do not have power.
“We came from Huntington Palisades and there were so many homes destroyed along Sunset Boulevard,” KTLA’s Sandra Mitchell reports from the #PalisadesFire. “It just took my breath away.” Live Updates: https://t.co/pAlVjlCqi8 pic.twitter.com/HTNVwOmZjk
— KTLA (@KTLA) January 8, 2025
Off-duty firefighters are being asked to report their availability to fight the fire. The call for assistance has not been conducted in this manner in two decades. Margaret Stewart, a spokesperson for the department, said, “I’ve got 19 years on and this is the first one that I’ve been involved in. It’s not something that we have to do very often.”
The origin of the fires was aided by a dry “rainy season,” designed explicitly as December through March. There has only been .01 of an inch of rain in LA since Dec. 1. The dry land and exceptionally high winds have assisted in fueling the fire.
