Tipsheet

Gov. Brown Blames Climate Change, Trump Blames Poor Management As Deadly CA Wildfire Continues

California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency and is calling on President Trump to make a major disaster declaration in response to the wildfires ravaging the state. The statewide death toll is now 31, with 228 people missing.

Astonishingly, Brown blamed those who deny climate change for “contributing to the tragedies,” Sunday after President Trump blamed the spread of the fires on mismanagement.

The town of Paradise, population 27,000, was destroyed last week by the Camp Fire in northern California which has burned down more structures than any other wildfire recorded in California.

The Woolsey Fire in Southern California burnt 85,500 acres and destroyed 177 structures. It is only 15 percent contained and the Santa Ana winds have worsened the situation.

Gov. Brown said at a press conference Sunday that “Managing all the forests and everywhere we can does not stop climate change and those who deny that are definitely contributing to the tragedies that we're now witnessing and will continue to witness in the coming years."

After blaming the fires on poor management, President Trump did offer his condolences to the victims Sunday.

The California Professional Firefighters (CPF) union called President Trump’s criticism “ill-informed, ill-timed and demeaning to those who are suffering as well as the men and women on the front lines.”