USA TODAY International Edition
They find the needle in a burned haystack
‘Very sad to see’: Trump gets tour of Paradise lost
PARADISE, Calif. – Against a smoky, hazy backdrop Saturday, President Donald Trump visited this burned-out retirement community, which was hardest hit in the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century.
Trump, wearing a windbreaker and a cap emblazoned with “USA,” surveyed a scene of burned-out cars and the remains of houses incinerated in the Camp Fire, which has left at least 71 people dead.
At one point, the presidential motorcade pulled into a mobile home and RV park, stopping in front of an American flag hanging from what was left of a
“I think hopefully this will be the last of these, this was a really, really bad one.” President Donald Trump
burned structure.
“Right now we want to take care of the people who have been so badly hurt,” the president said.
“This is very sad to see. As far as the lives are concerned, nobody knows quite yet.”
Under questioning by reporters, he returned to his theme that forest management was to blame for the wildfires. He earlier had threatened to withhold federal funds because of what he deemed mismanagement by the state.
“Other countries do it differently, it’s a whole different story,” he said, citing purported comments from the president of Finland on how they deal with their forests. He said they engage in “raking and cleaning things and they don’t have any problem.”
Gesturing at the rubble and destruction, Trump, who was flanked by Gov. Jerry Brown and Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, said state and federal partners would “get this cleaned up” and “take care of the floors of the forest.”
“I think hopefully this will be the last of these, this was a really, really bad one,” he said.
Asked at one point if the fire had changed his mind on climate change, the president said: “No, no.”
Authorities are trying to locate 1,011 people unaccounted for. They emphasize that not all the people listed are believed missing; many may simply have not checked in amid the chaos.
Brown told reporters that state and local teams, backed by federal financial help, were focused on cleanup and the search for more possible victims. “What needs to be done is being done,” he said, adding, “it is just a big, massive cleanup after a terrible tragedy.”
Later, Brown, who has clashed with the president multiple times, said climate change was to blame for the fires.
“Yes. Yes, we’ll let science determine this over a longer period of time,” the governor said in response to a question. “Right now, we’re collaborating on the most immediate response, and that’s very important.”
Trump chimed in: “We have different views, but maybe not as different as people think. Things are happening. Things are changing. And I think most importantly we’re doing things about — to make it better. We’re going to make it a lot better.”
The Camp Fire – still only 55 percent contained – has destroyed 148,000 structures. Officials do not expect to bring it under control until Nov. 30.