Trump tours wildfire-ravaged California
President criticizes forest management for deadly blazes
CHICO, Calif. — President Donald Trump toured a scene of surreal devastation Saturday, picking his way around burned trees and the hulking skeletons of automobiles as he pledged federal resources to help recover from the most deadly and destructive wildfire in California history.
“This is very sad to see, but we’re all going to work together,” Trump said after a walking tour of a burned-out RV park and housing tract in Paradise. As he spoke, thick smoky haze hung in the air, and stone and brick chimneys — all that remained of some homes — were visible behind him.
He also criticized forest-management decisions he suggested are at least partly to blame, even though the fires are believed to be more closely related to a record drought, high winds and a changing climate. But unlike earlier comments in which he threatened to withhold federal funding if changes weren’t made, Trump provided a reassuring note. “You’ve got the federal government,” at the ready, he promised.
Five more people were found dead in the wildfire rubble, the Associated Press reported Saturday night, bringing the death toll to 76.
Referring to the staggering loss of life, Trump sounded shaken.
“As far as the lives are concerned, nobody knows quite yet. We’re up to a certain number, but we have got a lot of people that aren’t accounted for yet,” Trump said.
“Right now we want to take care of the people who are so badly hurt,” Trump said. “There are areas you can’t even get to them yet.”
California Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, walked with Trump and told reporters that the state’s requests are being answered.
“The federal government can provide some help, and a lot of money and some expertise,” Brown said. “We’ll all pull through it together.”
Half contained
The Camp Fire covers an area the size of the state of Rhode Island north of Sacramento. Firefighters said Saturday that it is slightly more than 50 percent contained.
Trump’s one-day visit to California thrust him into a role of uniter and consoler that he has never occupied comfortably. The president seemed moved by the scale of the loss around him and was solicitous of Brown and Democratic Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, but said more about the firefighters and other rescuers deployed to the fire than about the victims.
Before he left Washington, Trump had said, without being asked by reporters, that fire management was on the agenda for the hastily arranged trip.
“We will be talking about forest management. I’ve been saying that for a long time. It should have been a lot different situation,” Trump told reporters outside the White House.
Trump drew wide criticism for a tweet last week blaming the wildfires on “gross mismanagement” of California timberlands and threatening to hold back federal funding.
No wildfire in California history has done more damage than the Camp Fire, which has destroyed nearly 7,000 structures since it started on Nov. 8. The fire burned down the forest town of Paradise, Trump’s first stop after landing at a military base north of Sacramento.
‘Happy he’s here’
The Woolsey Fire started northwest of Los Angeles the same day and has been moving toward the Pacific Coast. It has killed at least two people and destroyed 483 structures. Among the areas being threatened by the fire is Thousand Oaks, which is still grieving after 12 people were killed in the Nov. 7 mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill.
Trump did not respond to a question about whether he would meet with shooting victims.
The list of people unaccounted for in the Camp Fire exceeded 1,300 on Saturday, after authorities released more than 600 names in an effort to identify those who had been found by friends and relatives.
“We’re happy he’s here because we need the funding,” said Allison Bazan, a 24-year-old stay-at-home mom and criminal justice student, who fled Paradise. “We’d like our town to be rebuilt. People need to put political point of view aside right now if they want their town rebuilt. We need to look at this from a financial standpoint more so than personal opinion.”