At a White House briefing, US President Joe Biden pushed back against Trump’s accusations that California authorities have wasted water and said there was no room for politics in the situation.
He called for officials to be “honest” and “straightforward” with the public about the available capacity.
Trump also tried to blame a lack of water on environmentalists’ efforts to protect the smelt — a small fish that lives hundreds of miles away from the fires.
Such comments are a distraction from known impacts on the fires, such as the Santa Ana winds, and the fact that fire events in the state have been enhanced by a changing climate.
Scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather patterns and changing how wildfires impact the US West.
Southern California had two decades of drought that were followed by two exceptionally wet years that sparked furious vegetative growth. Then the region had no significant rain for eight months. Altogether, the weather left the area packed with fuel and primed to burn.
Nearly 180,000 people across Los Angeles remain under evacuation orders, and at least five people have died, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities continue to investigate the causes of the two main fires –- Palisades and Eaton –- with no evidence to support social media claims pinning blame on the homeless population or “ecoterrorists.”
Such false narratives “undercut the people and organizations trying to help” and “sow division within the community,” said Sarah Labowitz, a climate and geopolitics expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“It’s the exact opposite of what keeps people safe and ready to recover.”
© 2025 AFP
