President Trump briefly mentioned January’s deadly wildfires in Los Angeles County during his inaugural address in Washington, D.C., on Monday.
During a speech in the Capitol Rotunda shortly after being sworn into office, President Trump addressed wildfires, including two of the most destructive wildfires on record in California. The swearing-in ceremony and inaugural address were held indoors in the capital on a cold day.
“For weeks now, without any protection, they have been rampaging through homes and communities, affecting even the wealthiest and most powerful people in our country, including Some of them are sitting here right now.” A fire breaks out. “They don’t have a home anymore, which is interesting.
“We can’t allow this to happen. There’s nothing anyone can do about it. That’s going to change.”
Trump did not provide details, but said Saturday he would “probably” travel to California this week.
“I’ll probably go on the weekend,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Almost two weeks after historic wildfires broke out in Southern California, let’s take a look back at moments captured in the first 24 hours of the devastation. Photographer Sean Browning reported on NBC4 News on January 19, 2025 at 11 p.m.
The causes of the Eaton Fire northeast of Los Angeles and the Palisades Fire on the Los Angeles County coast are still under investigation. The operation began on Jan. 7 as historic Santa Ana winds, including gusts of 80 mph, caused widespread red flag warnings of severe fire danger in the area. Firefighters described the situation as one of the worst they had ever seen.
Santa Ana winds are offshore winds unique to Southern California due to its topography, coming from the desert and picking up speed as they pass through the area’s mountains, canyons, and mountain passes. The notorious combination of dry fuels, low humidity, and strong wind gusts creates a significant fire weather threat.
The Eaton and Palisades fires were fueled by dry brush and fanned by winds, destroying entire neighborhoods and forcing widespread evacuations. These orders have been lifted in some areas.
27 people were reported dead in this fire. At least 14,300 structures, including homes and shops, were destroyed.
As of Sunday, more than 8,300 fire personnel were working to strengthen containment, helped by improved weather conditions over the weekend.
The 23,713-acre Palisades Fire was 59% contained Monday. Containment of the 14,117-acre Eaton Fire increased to 87%.
The county and state declared a state of emergency, and then-President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state. By the time all the damage is known, the fire is expected to become the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
A red flag warning, which includes raised alerts for especially dangerous conditions, is in effect until mid-morning Tuesday for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
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