"What's wrong with them?": New statements by Donald Trump on the fires in LA cause horror

EXPRESS "What's wrong with them?": New statements by Donald Trump on the fires in LA cause horror 1 hour • 4 minutes reading time The designated US President Donald Trump criticizes the fight against the severe 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, brushed this off and called for a joint effort to deal with the emergency. The fire service is preparing itself for the situation to worsen again due to rising winds. What is the situation? The rescue services have recently made some progress in the fight against the inferno of flames 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 are currently in place for 105,000 people, and warnings have been issued for 87,000 more. At least 16 people have died, according to the coroner's office - and the number is continuing to rise. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that several hundred burned-out properties had been combed through in Altadena, which was hit by the Eaton fire. Rescue workers found three dead people. "Unfortunately, I assume that this number will increase as searches continue." In addition, 16 people are currently reported missing. This number will probably also increase, he warned. Stronger winds are expected in the coming days, which could rekindle the flames. Sniffer dogs are also being used in the search operations. It is currently not possible for the emergency services to reach all areas - the danger is too great. The authorities also urgently warned residents not to return to burned-out areas too soon. "They literally look like war zones," said Sheriff Luna. There are fallen power poles, broken electrical wires, smoldering fires. "It's not safe." It will take 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. According to the fire protection authority Cal Fire, more than 12,300 buildings have been destroyed or damaged. Since Tuesday, almost 163 square kilometers of land have been in flames - that's more than one and a half times the area of ​​the island of Sylt. Trump intervenes and causes horror on the Internet The future President Trump complained that the firefighting effort was not progressing quickly enough. Thousands of magnificent houses had been destroyed and many more would soon be lost. "There are dead people everywhere. This is one of the worst disasters in the history of our country," Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform. "They just can't put out the fires. What is wrong with them?" His words have been met with a lot of criticism and incomprehension on social media. The account "Republicans against Trump" was among those horrified in a post on X and wrote: "Trump is unable to show compassion for the victims of these terrible forest fires, the thousands who have lost their homes and the more than 100,000 people who have had to be evacuated." And further: "Not a single word for the heroic firefighters who have risked their lives to save others since the first moments of these forest fires. All he does is attack his political opponents. He is a psychopath. He is not a leader and never will be." Trump's future Vice President J.D. Vance also publicly complained about the handling of the fires. "There has been a serious lack of competent leadership in California, and I think that's one of the reasons these fires have gotten so bad," Vance told Fox News. The Republican Trump has always been at loggerheads with the leadership in the Democratic stronghold of California. The fact that he will be moving back into the White House on January 20 could have an impact on the cleanup and reconstruction in the greater LA area - for example when it comes to federal aid. Tug-of-war with the governor Trump had already explicitly lashed out at the Democratic governor of California and blamed him for the extent of the fires in the greater Los Angeles area. Specifically, he criticized Newsom's water conservation measures. Trump had often railed against the prominent governor in the past and described his policies as radical. In light 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. California Governor Newsom does not want to get into a verbal tussle with 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 the incumbent President Joe Biden to deal with the emergency - he would like to continue this with the next president. "We want to act in the spirit of an open hand, not a clenched fist." The mayor of LA, Karen Bass, also tried to dispel the impression of major rifts between the local leadership and the future federal government. She had spoken to representatives of Trump's team. "It was a good conversation. So I'm not worried." She also assumes that Trump will visit LA. Problems with water and fraudsters Newsom said again that an independent investigation should look into problems with the water system. According to the Los Angeles Times, emergency services had reported isolated cases of fire hydrants that no longer had water, which hampered firefighting efforts in some places. Another problem at the moment is fraudsters who are trying to take advantage of the emergency. Sheriff Luna said that the police arrested a man who disguised himself as a firefighter and looted a property. The authorities also warned of fraudsters who are posing as charities and falsely claiming to be collecting money for victims of the fire disaster. (dpa/mg)