The last few days in California is not only about the fight against fire, but also about the political fight. The American right, including Donald Trump and his supporters, are lashing out at state officials and the city of Los Angeles, claiming that the magnitude of the disaster is also the result of their incompetence and dire priorities.
On January 7th, Cheryl Koo was returning home in Altadena, California when she noticed a fire near a transmission tower in Eaton Canyon. After 34 minutes, the fire engulfed most of the area. Cheryl and Jeffrey Koo aren’t the only witnesses to what they believe was the first outbreak of the Eaton Fire, which is still burning in Los Angeles County.
– I saw a flash at the foot of the hill of Eaton Canyon. As I approached, I noticed that the entire high-voltage tower was surrounded by a ring of fire, said Marcus Errico, a resident of Altadena.
More citizens are suing Southern California Edison, the power company responsible for the industrial tower. The company denies that their equipment was the cause of the fire, and local authorities emphasize that they have not yet identified the cause of the fire.
Dramatic effects of fires in California Justina Kazimierczak/Fakty o Świecie TVN24 BiS
The cause of the fire is being investigated
The search for those responsible for one of the costliest natural disasters in the United States continues and is the source of further political scandals and a wave of disinformation. – We have to deal with this. We are dealing with false information. There are people who want to divide this country, said Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, in a conversation with President Joe Biden and his aides.
The Democrats, led by California’s governor, have been criticized by Republicans for their mismanagement of Southern California’s water resources, which has been blamed on President-elect Donald Trump, among others.
“Governor Gavin Newsom needs to go to Northern California immediately, turn on the water and let the water flow instead of being released into the Pacific Ocean,” Trump said on social media.
However, hydrologists say water levels in Los Angeles reservoirs reached record highs when the fire broke out, even though one of them, in Pacific Palisades, was actually closed for maintenance.
Forest fires in California. Action on AltadenaPAP/EPA/CAROLINE BRHEHMAN
The next president blames the governor of California
Donald Trump also blames the governor of California for the lack of water in some hydrants, which has hindered rescue operations. Gavin Newsom confirmed the problem and announced an independent investigation into the issue, but many experts say even fully functioning hydrants don’t make much of a difference for fires of this magnitude.
“Our water systems are not designed to put out wildfires or all mountain fires, especially fires of this size,” says Edith de Guzman of the University of California, San Francisco.
Elon Musk echoed Alex Jones, a prominent conspiracy theorist, who says the fires are “part of a global conspiracy to cause economic war and deindustrialize the United States.” In a series of posts, the world’s richest man also attacked Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for cutting the fire department’s budget. That’s down from more than $17 million last year, according to the local fire chief.
– Budget reduction and job cuts, for example, among mechanics, had a serious impact on our work. We are now over 100 fire engines out of commission, notes Christine Crowley, Chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
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However, the Los Angeles Times reports that the City Council recently approved $53 million for firefighters and $58 million for new equipment, so the fire department’s operating budget has technically increased.
However, the chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, which has also been criticized by Republicans for mismanagement of the department, admitted that even 100 additional fire trucks would not make a significant difference in fighting wildfires in California.
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Main photo source: PAP/EPA/Allison DINNER
