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California's wildfires could become the costliest disaster in US history, the state's governor said, as forecasts of gusty winds raised fears that the catastrophic fires could spread further.
In a report on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, Gavin Newsom said the fires, which have burned at least 22,000 hectares, will be the worst the country has ever seen “just in terms of the costs associated with it, (and) in terms of scale and scope”.
He added that there were likely to be “far too many” confirmed deaths. The death toll Saturday evening stood at 16, according to Los Angeles authorities.
Hopes of taking over Sunday from the Santa Ana winds that have ignited have left tens of thousands of residents under evacuation orders. As of Saturday, fires were threatening homes in the upper Mandeville Canyon area and in the Brentwood area, although officials said they were making progress in stopping the spread there.
The National Weather Service is forecasting gusts between 50 and 70 mph.
Newsom, a Democrat, responded to an attack from president-elect Donald Trump, who accused the governor of depleting water reserves to protect endangered fish species, and refusing to sign a “water restoration declaration” that would “. allow millions of gallons of water . . . to flow daily into the areas Most of California”. Newsom's office said there was no such announcement.
Trump, who has a long relationship with Newsom and refers to him as “Newscum”, also called on the Californian to resign, accusing him of “a big failure”.
“The reservoirs are full, the reservoirs here in Southern California,” Newsom said.
“That misinformation and disinformation I don't think is helpful or helpful to any of us,” he added. “In response to Donald Trump's insults, we will spend another month. I am very familiar with them. Every elected official who disagrees with them is very familiar with them.”
Newsom also said he has invited the president-elect to visit the affected areas, but has yet to receive a response from Trump's transition team.
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Sunday raised hopes that US troops would be sent to Los Angeles to help control the fire.
“There are active duty military personnel who are preparing to restore order, who are ready to go in and continue to support firefighting efforts,” Deanne Criswell told ABC's This Week program. Speaking on CNN, he warned that strong winds expected in the coming days could spread the fire further.
No official estimate of the cost of the damage has yet been released, but AccuWeather analysts last week calculated economic losses at between $135bn and $150bn – short of the $250bn cost associated with Hurricane Helene last year.
President Biden on Thursday promised that the US government will pay “100 percent of all costs” caused by the disaster, and will ask Congress for financial assistance.
Trump, who on the campaign trail last year threatened to withhold disaster funding from California, has so far been silent on whether he would provide similar aid. On Sunday, he renewed his attacks on government officials.
“Police that cannot work do not know how to put out (fires),” he wrote. “There is death everywhere. This is one of the greatest tragedies in our country's history. They cannot put out fires. What is wrong with them?”