Donald Trump, who has strongly criticised the reaction of California authorities to the devastatings that plague it, said he would likely visit the area next week, after his inauguration. Of the fires in Los Angeles – which have burned about 160,000 acres – 27 people have lost their lives, according to the most recent account published on Friday (17.01.2025), and more than 10,000 buildings have been destroyed in the Pacific Paliseids and Altadena areas. ADVERSE “I’ll probably go to the end of next week,” Trump said in an interview with NBC. “I would go (…) yesterday but I thought it would be better if I went as president. It’s a little more correct, I suspect,” he added. California governor, Democrat Gavin Newsome, invited Trump last week to visit the area, saying that “we should not politicize human tragedy or spread misinformation from the margin.” Trump has requested Newsome’s resignation, claiming that policies adopted by the Democratic governor caused a lack of water which prevented firefighting efforts. Newsome has described these accusations as unfounded. CORVERSE Republican also accused Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass of incompetence and stated that outgoing president Joe Biden left no money in the budget of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Wind reinforcement expected from Monday The fires in Los Angeles broke out on January 7 and spread rapidly due to the drought caused by the Santa Ana winds. Meanwhile as the winds slowed over the weekend, firefighters were able to cope more effectively with the flames, but the weather service warned that new wind reinforcement is expected from Monday. Winds are expected to be strengthened from Monday to Wednesday opening “a new period of critical danger” for the fires, meteorologist Daniel Swain stressed yesterday Saturday, while adding that no rain is expected in the next six to seven days. Suspicious police officers and teams with trained dogs were investigating the affected areas on Friday seeking victims. Meanwhile federal authorities have launched an investigation to determine the causes of the fire, for which various theories have been developed. Experts are already stressing two critical elements: two years during which many rainfalls were recorded, resulting in much growth in fauna and then drought for months and strong winds. Santa Ana winds, fueling the fire, are a common occurrence in autumn and winter in California. But this year their speed reached record levels that have not been recorded since 2011, with bursts that were breathing at a speed of up to 160 km per hour. Alex Tardi of the American weather service explained that the combination of recent Santa Ana winds with dry conditions on earth created “an unprecedented risk of fire (…) in modern times”. This, of course, added, does not mean that more fires will erupt, but that if they occur, they will probably spread in a more explosive and rapid way.
Donald Trump in California next week while the fires are raging in Los Angeles
—
in World