Los Angeles wildfires: Who’s been blamed for response shortcomings?
The official cause of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, fuelled by powerful winds and drought-like conditions, is yet to be determined.
But with the blazes still raging, causing devastation that has seen hundreds of homes destroyed and at least 16 people killed, who has been blamed over shortcomings in the response?
Donald Trump leads fierce criticism
President-elect Donald Trump was quick to point the finger at Joe Biden and California’s governor Gavin Newsom – a Democrat he refers to as “Gavin Newscum”.
LA fires latest: Looters dress as firefighters
He blamed water conservation priorities, including those related to the endangered Delta smelt fish, for causing hydrants to run dry in parts of Los Angeles.
“It’s a mistake of the governor, and you can say the administration,” he said.
“They don’t have any water. They didn’t have water in the fire hydrants.
“The governor has not done a good job.”
Resident berates Newsom
Without specifically naming Mr Trump, Mr Biden reacted to the claim during a briefing at the White House, passing the question to his deputy energy secretary David Turk.
He explained why power lines were shut down in the fire and how that impacted hydrants, saying it was down to a power and pressure issue.
Hydrants need power to pump water up, he said, but during times of disaster power lines are cut to curb the risk of power surges and line breakdowns.
Mr Trump went as far as to call Mr Newsom and LA mayor Karen Bass’ leadership “gross incompetence” and blamed them for “a total wipeout” in Los Angeles.
He said in a social media post: “This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?”
California governor hits back
Mr Newsom, who has also been the target of criticism from residents hit by the devastating wildfires, has invited Mr Trump to survey the area and meet those affected, but said the president-elect has not yet responded.
LA mayor Karen Bass speaks to the media
Read more:
What we know about the people killed?
What caused the fires?
In an interview with Sky News’ US partner network NBC, he took aim at those “creating a crisis” by taking “cheap political shots” and criticised the spreading of “mis and disinformation”.
“Somehow connecting the Delta smelt to this fire, which is inexcusable because it’s inaccurate – also incomprehensible to anyone that understands water policy in the state,” he said.
Trump claimed policies related to the endangered Delta smelt fish affected how much water could be pumped out of its habitat.
He also criticised what he said was Mr Trump’s suggestions he would withhold aid for California wildfires, saying he was “threatening the first responders”.
Mr Newsom has called for an independent investigation into the issues of water pressure and supply but insisted it was “not about finger pointing”.
LA mayor under fire
Asked if he had faith in the LA mayor, Mr Newsom did not back her by name but said he had “absolute faith in our community, adding: “I have faith in our leaders. I have the faith of our capacity to work together.”
More than 90,000 people have signed an online petition calling on Ms Bass to resign, accusing her of a “failure” to respond to the fires gripping the city.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley. File pic: AP
The city mayor, who was on a visit to Ghana when the fires broke out, is also facing fierce criticism for $17.8m (£14.5m) in budget cuts for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Fire chief embroiled in political row
Fire chief Kristin Crowley said they had “negatively impacted” her team’s ability to tackle the fires.
She told CNN “the fire department needs help” and there are not enough staff or fire stations, and in an interview with KTTV when asked if the city had failed the LAFD she responded, “yes”.
Ms Bass has denied that the reduction had an impact on firefighting efforts during this week’s crisis and sought to ease the tension amid rumours Ms Crowley would be sacked.
“The fire chief and I are focused on fighting these fires and saving lives, and any differences that we might have will be worked out in private,” Ms Bass said at a news conference.
Ms Crowley, who is gay and the city’s first female fire chief, had herself been swept into the national political debate with conservatives claiming diversity, equity and inclusion policies have gone too far in US institutions.
She has made diversifying the overwhelmingly male department a priority, but there’s no evidence that her efforts have hampered the fight.
Fourteen people have died after the US launched its latest attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean, which it says were transporting illegal drugs to the country.
It brings the total number of dead from 13 airstrikes to 57, amid increasing tensions between the US and the governments of both Colombia and Venezuela.
A 30-second video posted on X by the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, showed four vessels exploding on Monday on what he said were the orders of US President Donald Trump.
Analysis: Is Trump going to attack Venezuela?
One of the boats appears to be piled high with packages.
Mr Hegseth, who is with Mr Trump on a tour of Asia, said US forces carried out “three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organisations (DTO) trafficking narcotics”.
They were identified as drug boats by US intelligence, he said, travelling on “known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics”.
A total of 14 “male narco-terrorists” onboard were killed, he said, “with one survivor”, who was rescued by Mexican authorities.
Narco-terrorists “have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them,” he added.
The condition and whereabouts of the survivor are not known.
President Trump and Japan’s Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, in Tokyo on Tuesday. Pic: AP
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaking to troops on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, in Japan. Pic: Reuters
It is the latest in a series of attacks on boats the US says have been carrying drugs in both the Pacific and Caribbean, and comes as Washington continues its military build-up in the latter, deploying guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and thousands of troops.
The administration has ordered the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier and its supporting strike group to the region, and it is expected to reach the Caribbean in the coming weeks.
Mr Trump has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of leading a drug-trafficking organisation, which he denies.
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September- ‘drug boat’ attacked by US military
Mr Maduro has repeatedly claimed that the US wants to drive him from power, while some in Venezuela believe the military build-up is aimed at destabilising his government and ultimately forcing regime change in Caracas.
Mr Trump has also authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
The Pentagon has provided little information about any of the strikes, including the quantity of drugs the boats allegedly carried and the identities of those killed.
Read more from Sky News:
Venezuela opposition leader wins Nobel Prize
Trump may have another motive in war on drugs
Democrats in Washington have asked whether the attacks comply with the laws of war, while legal experts have asked why the US Coast Guard, the main US maritime law enforcement agency, hasn’t been involved and why other efforts to stop the shipments have not been tried first.
Venezuela’s government says the strikes are illegal, amount to murder, and are acts of aggression.
In August, the Trump administration doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million (£38m).
US warships in the region, the green light for covert operations, and deadly strikes on what the Trump administration claims are “narco terrorists” – could America’s next move be to strike Venezuela?
President Donald Trump has accused President Nicolas Maduro of leading an organised crime gang (without providing evidence) and declined to answer when questioned if the CIA has the authority to assassinate him.
In return, the Venezuelan leader has accused Mr Trump of seeking regime change and of “fabricating a new eternal war” against his country, as he appealed to the American people for peace.
The rhetoric coming out of the White House, coupled with the presence of military ships in the region, has raised questions about a possible armed conflict between the US and Venezuela.
The question in the air is: Will the US actually attack Venezuela?
The USS Gravely destroyer arrives in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on 26 October. Pic: AP
What are US warships doing?
The docking of the USS Gravely guided missile destroyer in the capital of Trinidad and Tobago – just 25 miles from the coast of Venezuela – is the latest incident to escalate tensions.
Venezuela’s government condemned the arrival and called it a provocation by Trinidad and Tobago and the US.
The USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier – the largest warship in the world – is also moving closer to Venezuela.
Satellite image shows USS Gerald R Ford on 25 October off the coast of Croatia, a day after the announcement it would be deployed to the Caribbean. Pic: EU Copernicus
It comes as the US has acknowledged carrying out at least seven strikes since September on vessels near Venezuela that it claims were transporting drugs, killing at least 32 people.
Venezuela’s government says the strikes are illegal, amount to murder, and are acts of aggression.
Earlier this month, Trump confirmed he has authorised the CIA to carry out covert operations – including lethal operations – in Venezuela.
The CIA has a long history of operations in Latin America, with actions varying widely from direct paramilitary engagement to intelligence gathering and support roles with little to no physical footprint.
What could happen?
To get an idea of what could happen next, Sky News spoke to Dr Carlos Solar, an expert on Latin American security at the RUSI defence thinktank.
He says the level of military strategy the US is applying around Venezuela seems “unproportionate” for the task of tackling drug trafficking.
In Venezuela, the government has civilians trained in the use of weapons to defend the country in the event of a US attack. Pic: AP
“A build-up this size can only suggest there’s a strategic military goal,” he added.
Dr Solar says the role of the CIA is “not surprising”, as the US often deploys spying capabilities in countries deemed adversarial.
“With the chances of a military conflict looming, having the most intelligence capable on the ground would be reasonable.”
The world’s largest warship, the USS Gerald R Ford, has been tasked to the Caribbean. File pic: Reuters
Asked what could happen next, Dr Solar told Sky News: “One scenario is Trump authorises a round of long-range precision attacks in Venezuela’s territory linked to drug trafficking operations, eventually forcing Maduro to reciprocate later.
“We saw this early in the year when the US attacked Iran’s nuclear facilitates and Tehran returned missiles to US bases in Qatar.
“If the US decides to move more strongly, destroying all critical military targets from the Venezuelan forces, then the US could have Maduro surrender and leave the country immediately.
“This would be the least disruptive without causing greater destabilisation of the country.”
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Venezuelan President: ‘We don’t want a war’
What does Trump say about Venezuela?
Trump said his reasons for the strikes on vessels were the migration of Venezuelans, allegedly including former prisoners, to the US – and drug trafficking.
“I authorised for two reasons really,” he said. “Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America…they came in through the border. They came in because we had an open border,” he told reporters. “And the other thing are drugs.”
He has accused Venezuela of trafficking huge amounts of cocaine into the US, and alleged Mr Maduro is the leader of the Tren de Aragua gang – a claim most of his own intelligence agencies do not support.
President Donald Trump is currently on a tour of Asia. Pic: Reuters
The US leader has not provided evidence for the claim about prisoners, and Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay pointed out the fentanyl drug that is causing destruction in America is largely manufactured in Mexico, not Venezuela.
“We are looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Mr Trump added. It is not clear what actions this could entail.
The Pentagon recently disclosed to US Congress that the president has determined the US is engaged in “a non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels.
When asked if the CIA has the authority to execute Maduro, which would be a massive intervention, Trump declined to answer. Instead, he said: “I think Venezuela is feeling heat.”
Read more:
Venezuela opposition leader wins Nobel Peace Prize
Trump may have another motive in escalation of war on drugs
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro. Pic: Reuters
What does Venezuela’s leader say?
Maduro has been in power since 2013, including re-elections in contests marred by accusations of fraud.
The last decade has seen his country gripped by spiralling hyperinflation and a humanitarian crisis that has seen an estimated eight million Venezuelans flee the country.
As the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier moved closer to Venezuela, Maduro accused the US government of “fabricating a new eternal war” against his country.
Venezuelan ambassador to the UN, Samuel Moncada, holds a newspaper article about a recent US military strike. Pic: Reuters
“They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war that we will avoid,” he said in a national address.
“They are fabricating an extravagant narrative, a vulgar, criminal and totally fake one,” he added, perhaps a reference to Trump’s claim that he is the leader of the Tren de Aragua gang and that his country trafficks cocaine into the US.
“Venezuela is a country that does not produce cocaine leaves.”
Members of Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Guard. Pic: Reuters
Tren de Aragua, which traces its roots to a Venezuelan prison, is not known for having a big role in global drug trafficking but instead for its involvement in contract killings, extortion, and people smuggling.
Venezuela has raised a complaint to the UN Security Council and demanded accountability from the US.
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