Donald Trump criticizes firefighting: “Incompetent politicians”

US President-elect Donald Trump criticizes the fight against the serious fires in Los Angeles as inadequate. “The fires in LA are still raging. The incompetent politicians have no idea how to put them out,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.

The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, and the Mayor of LA, Karen Bass, dismissed this and called for us to deal with the emergency together. The fire brigade is preparing for the situation to worsen again due to increasing winds.

Recently, rescue workers made some progress in the fight against the flaming inferno around LA. However, the wind is expected to pick up significantly again in the coming days, which could further fan the flames. According to authorities, evacuation orders currently apply to 105,000 people, and corresponding warnings have been issued for 87,000 others.

According to the coroner’s office, at least 16 people died – the number continued to rise. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said several hundred burned properties had been combed in Altadena, which was hit by the Eaton fire. Rescue workers found three dead. “Unfortunately, I assume that this number will increase as further searches continue.” In addition, 16 people are currently reported missing. This number will probably increase, he warned.

Sniffer dogs are also used in the search operations. It is currently not possible for the emergency services to penetrate all areas – the danger is too great. Authorities also strongly warned residents not to return to burned areas too soon. “They literally look like war zones,” Sheriff Luna said. There are fallen power poles, broken electrical lines, smoldering fires. “It’s not safe.”

It will be days before there is final certainty about further possible fatalities. And large areas are still burning. The largest of the fires, the Palisades fire, is only eleven percent under control so far. More than 12,300 buildings are destroyed or damaged, according to Cal Fire. Since Tuesday, almost 163 square kilometers of land have gone up in flames – that’s more than one and a half times the area of ​​the island of Sylt.

Future President Trump complained that firefighting was not progressing fast enough. Thousands of magnificent houses had been destroyed and many more would soon be lost. “There are deaths everywhere. This is one of the worst disasters in our country’s history,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform. “They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?”

Trump’s future vice president JD Vance also publicly complained about the handling of the fires. “There’s been a severe lack of competent leadership in California, and I think that’s one of the reasons why these fires have gotten so bad,” Vance told Fox News. The Republican Trump has always been in a clinch with the leadership in the Democratic stronghold of California. The fact that he will move back into the White House from January 20th could have an impact on the clean-up work and reconstruction in the LA area – for example when it comes to federal aid.

Donald Trump had previously explicitly criticized the Democratic governor of California and blamed him for the extent of the fires in the Los Angeles area. Specifically, he criticized Newsom’s water saving measures. Trump has often railed against the prominent governor in the past and described his policies as radical.

In view of the current criticism, Newsom invited Trump to personally see the extent of the fires in Los Angeles. In an interview with NBC, the Democrat said he had not yet received an answer from Trump.

The governor said he was used to insults from Trump – like “any official with whom he disagrees.” But Newsom emphasized: “He is an elected president. I respect his office.” He is working closely with current President Joe Biden to deal with the emergency – he would like to continue this with the next president. “We want to act with an open hand, not a clenched fist.”

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass also sought to dispel the impression of major discord between local leadership and the incoming federal government. She spoke to representatives of Trump’s team. “It was a good conversation. So I’m not worried.” She also assumes that Trump will visit LA.

Meanwhile, Newsom again said an independent investigation should investigate problems with the water system. According to the Los Angeles Times, emergency services had occasionally reported fire hydrants that no longer had water, which hampered firefighting work in some places.

Another problem currently is fraudsters who are trying to take advantage of the emergency. Sheriff Luna said police arrested a man who dressed up as a firefighter and ransacked a property. Authorities also warned of scammers posing as charities and falsely claiming to be raising money for victims of the fire disaster.