Powerful winds and bone-dry conditions could pose a challenge to firefighters battling new wildfires in southern California on Thursday, including a blaze that swelled over the past day and forced tens of thousands of evacuations north of Los Angeles.
The Hughes fire, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles, grew to 10,176 acres since igniting on Wednesday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said on its website.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has threatened to hold back federal disaster assistance as he trades barbs with Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was occupied with the fast-moving brush fire that erupted north of Los Angeles.
Newsom described Trump as a uniquely dangerous threat to American democracy for much of last year’s presidential campaign. And Trump regularly calls the governor “scum” — or, to be exact, “Newscum.”
Trump sought to pin the catastrophe on Democratic leadership, blaming Newsom’s water management decisions for the fires — an idea that water experts strongly disputed — and noting that some fire hydrants had run dry amid huge demand.
California Newsom signed a bipartisan $2.5 billion disaster response law to help the area recover from deadly wildfires under a relief package after the state Legislature approved them Thursday by.
The measures Newsom signed include $2.5 billion for the state’s disaster response efforts such as evacuations, sheltering survivors and removing household hazardous waste.
Lawmakers also approved $4 million for local governments to streamline approvals for rebuilding homes, and $1 million to support school districts and help them rebuild facilities.
“This is about distilling a sense of hopefulness,” said Newsom at a news conference in Pasadena, a city recovering from one of the destructive fires.
Trump planned to visit California to look at damage from the wildfires but suggested any federal relief should come with conditions. Former President Joe Biden already approved some disaster aid for the region before leaving the White House.
Trump continues to deny that climate change exacerbated the crisis.
According to the newest Global Carbon Budget report, global emissions continue to rise and must be significantly reduced to meet global climate targets and avoid severe and deleterious effects of climate change.
Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels have reached a record high in 2024, according to new research by the Global Carbon Project science team.
Over the last 10 years, fossil CO2 emissions have risen while land-use change CO2 emissions have declined on average – leaving overall emissions roughly level over that period.
Atmospheric CO2 levels are set to reach 422.5 parts per million in 2024, 2.8 parts per million above 2023, and 52% above pre-industrial levels.
That’s the most we’ve seen in at least 3 million years. All of this extra carbon dioxide is warming up the planet, so we do not need more of Donald Trump’s hot air.