California under threat: 23 people died in the devastating wildfire

The firemen fear that the winds will increase and along with these the number of tragedies. Donald Trump blames mismanagement and threatens to cut federal payments

The fire, called Camp Fire, began on Thursday, November 8 in the morning and is the most destructive that has been recorded in the state. As reported by the California Fire Department (Cal Fire), until the morning of November 10 the wildfire had destroyed 40,500 hectares and was barely contained by 20%.

Leer en español: California bajo amenaza: incendios dejan 23 muertos

In addition, it was estimated that it will take three weeks to fully control the progress of the flames. The fire has left 23 dead so far, 250,000 people evicted and 11 missing. It is feared that on November 11 it will spread, as the weather forecast announced that the wind would regain strength on Sunday.

"Today 14 additional bodies were located, which brings our total number to 23," said Kory Honea, sheriff of Butte County, at a news conference. Butte is one of the counties of the state of California where the town of Paradise is located, the most affected by the flames.

According to the newspaper El País, Camp Fire ranks as the third deadliest fire that has been recorded. The worst, with 29 dead, was in 1933. It is also reported that more than 3,000 firefighters are fighting the fire with 440 trucks and 23 helicopters.

Donald Trump blames bad forest management

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, had previously referred on his Twitter account to the figure of eleven deceased known. "Our hearts are with those fighting the fires, the 52,000 who have evacuated, and the families of the 11 who have died," Trump said.

According to La FM, on Friday, November 9, the president approved an emergency declaration for the state and offered relief and air support and transport supplies to the affected areas. Now, Trump blames Californian authorities for "gross mismanagement" in the devastating fires the state is experiencing and threatened to cancel future federal aid.

"There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that the forest management is so poor. Billions of dollars are given every year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests," he said through his Twitter account.

"Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!", the president added from France, where he arrived to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

You can also read: The Amazon, between fire and oil

Hollywood criticizes his words

Trump's comment on his Twitter account generated an avalanche of criticism from several entertainment industry figures, who could not hide their anger and disbelief at his words. The director and actress Ava DuVernay, for example, wrote that: "This man is demented. Never stop saying it."

"No respect is due. Thousands of Americans evacuated from their homes, many burned to the ground and our "President" points his little finger in the wrong direction to settle scores," said humorist Jimmy Kimmel. For its part, the International Firemen Association released a statement in which it considers "irresponsible, imprudent, and insulting" the words of the president.

Katy Perry also lashed out against the president in her Twitter account. According to the Hot n Cold singer, "This is an absolutely heartless response. There aren't even politics involved. Just good American families losing their homes as you tweet, evacuating IGNORE INTO shelters."

Among the people evicted by the fire were also several Hollywood personalities, such as Kim Kardashian and the Mexican director Guillermo del Toro.

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LatinAmerican Post | Luisa Fernanda Báez

Translated from "California bajo amenaza: incendios dejan ya 23 muertos"

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