President-elect Donald Trump and some social media users blamed California Governor Gavin Newsom for the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, claiming his environmental policies worsened the disaster. As of January 10, the fires had killed at least 10 people, burned over 35,000 acres, and destroyed thousands of buildings. Trump’s past criticism of California’s forest and water management policies also resurfaced online, even though many of his claims were not accurate.
During the fires in Pacific Palisades, firefighters struggled with low water pressure, and some hydrants stopped working. Trump posted on Truth Social that Newsom’s decisions prevented clean water from reaching the areas in need, saying the governor had refused to sign a “water restoration declaration.” This, he claimed, was meant to protect a small endangered fish, the Delta smelt, but ended up harming Californians. However, experts and Newsom’s office confirmed there is no such declaration, and Trump’s claim was false.
The real issue was not the availability of water but the local system’s ability to keep up with the massive demand during the fires. Los Angeles had plenty of water stored, but the infrastructure wasn’t built to handle fires of such size and intensity. Firefighters used up millions of gallons from storage tanks, and the system couldn’t refill them fast enough to keep up with the fire’s spread. A nearby reservoir that was closed for repairs during the fires might have helped, but experts explained that it wouldn’t have fully solved the problem.
Some social media users also wrongly claimed that the delays in building new water reservoirs caused the fire hydrants to run dry. While California voters approved funding for water storage projects in 2014, none of those projects have been completed yet. However, these reservoirs, mostly located far from Los Angeles, would not have affected the firefighting efforts in the city.
Trump has a history of blaming California’s forest management for wildfires, suggesting in the past that the state should “clean” forest floors to prevent fires. While Governor Newsom has acknowledged that forest management can be improved, he also pointed out that 57% of California’s forests are federally owned, meaning the state has limited control over them. Experts also noted that the Los Angeles fires didn’t burn through forests but in brushland areas like chaparral. These fires are fueled by strong winds, making it hard to control or prevent them, even with vegetation management.
California has taken significant steps to reduce wildfire risks. The state has treated hundreds of thousands of acres to improve wildfire resilience, increased the use of prescribed burns, and committed billions of dollars to fire prevention programs. However, experts say there’s no simple fix. Local infrastructure, weather, climate change, and land management all play a role in how wildfires spread and how communities respond to them.
While Trump’s claims about water and forest management grabbed attention, experts agree that the recent fires in Los Angeles were primarily driven by local infrastructure challenges and extreme weather conditions. Managing fire risks in a state like California requires cooperation between state, federal, and private entities, along with continued investments in prevention and response systems.
