President-elect Donald Trump took to his social media platform on Sunday to insult officials who were in charge of handling the raging wildfires in Los Angeles.
“The fires are still raging in L.A.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out. Thousands of magnificent houses are gone, and many more will soon be lost. There is death all over the place.”
Trump said that the fires are now “one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country.”
While simplifying the issue, Trump questioned why the fires were still raging across Los Angeles County.
“They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?” Trump asked.
These aren’t the first remarks from Trump on the fire, as he previously placed blame for the fires on California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and President Joe Biden.
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.
In another post, he also threw blame at President Biden.
“NO WATER IN THE FIRE HYDRANTS, NO MONEY IN FEMA. THIS IS WHAT JOE BIDEN IS LEAVING ME. THANKS JOE!” Trump said.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office reports that 16 have died as a result of the fires, and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department reports that 16 remain missing.
Over 40,000 acres have burned, and more than 150,000 residents have been forced to evacuate as the fires continue to burn, according to state officials.
Among the factors contributing to the fires include dry conditions, low humidity, packed vegetation, and strong Santa Ana winds that have given little relief over the past several days.