Fierce wildfires continue to rage across the greater Los Angeles area. According to NBC News on Thursday (Jan. 9), the blazes have claimed at least five lives and displaced 100,000 residents.

The Palisades fire stands out as the most destructive in LA’s history. It scorched well over 17,000 acres and destroyed 1,000 structures. Adding to the situation, the recently ignited Sunset fire erupted shortly before 6 p.m. on Wednesday (Jan. 8) in the Hollywood Hills. It quickly spread across 60 acres and endangers several iconic landmarks in the area.

The fires also caused widespread power outages, leaving more than 350,000 customers in the dark. LA County, the nation’s most populous, was hit hardest with 200,000 residents currently without electricity. Authorities were said to be working around the clock to manage the growing emergency.

Taking to Truth Social, President-elect Donald Trump firmly placed the blame on California’s leadership. “One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin ‘Newscum’ should resign,” he wrote as a direct shot to Gov. Newsom. “This is all his fault!”

Speaking to CNN while standing in the midst of the destruction, the California leader stated that he “can’t even respond” to Trump’s attack. “People are literally fleeing. People have lost their lives... And this guy wanted to politicize it,” Newsom expressed. “I have a lot of thoughts, and I know what I want to say. I won’t.”

Trump was more detailed about his reasoning in an earlier post, claiming, “[He] 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, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.”

Meanwhile, outgoing head of state Joe Biden provided a much different reaction to the ongoing crisis. “I’ve approved [the governor’s] request for a major disaster declaration and ordered federal assistance to supplement response efforts in areas affected by wildfires,” he tweeted before ensuring that “impacted communities and survivors have immediate access to funds and resources to begin their recovery.”