OPINION: As fires rage on, political tensions rise

Photo via Pacific Southwest Forest Service/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons

At least 24 people have been killed so far. 88,000 people are still under evacuation orders. Over 12,000 structures were destroyed. 60 square miles have been burned. Damage is projected at up to 150 billion dollars. Despite a few of the California wildfires being contained, the Palisades and the Eaton fires still rage on, becoming two of the most deadly fires in California’s history. 

Since Jan. 7, wildfires have been rapidly spreading throughout the Los Angeles area in California, destroying everything in their path. Though firefighters are working hard to contain the fires, losses have been devastating. Many people no longer have homes or personal belongings. The neighborhoods they once knew are now gone. Unfortunately, when tragedies like these fires strike, politicians start pointing fingers.

Some right-wing critics are spreading false claims the fires are the fault of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. On his social media platform X, Elon Musk wrote, “​​They prioritized DEI over saving lives and homes,” with attached images of the Los Angeles Fire Department's “racial equity action plan.” Kristin Crowley, the first woman and first gay person to serve as Los Angeles City Fire Department Chief,  has been criticized for prioritizing DEI over actually preventing fires, even though these are just baseless assumptions. 

Mike Beasley, who heads the board of Firefighters United for Safety Ethics and Ecology, told NPR that “No fire agency is going to sacrifice training and fundamental fire control and fundamental operations at the expense of DEI training” and that “there is no number of people that will stop all the fires in the middle of a hot, dry season with the climate charged fuel aridity.” 

Since wildfires don't usually start at this time of year, there has also been a lot of argument about climate change and whether or not it is connected to these fires. Despite statements by politicians, scientists have expressed that climate change is real and has created the perfect warm and dry conditions for more wildfires. 

Musk took to X again to write that “Climate change risk is real, just much slower than alarmists claim.” Instead, he blamed “nonsensical overregulation” and “bad governance at the state and local level that resulted in a shortage of water.” However, senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Michael F. Wehner said, “Wildfires have become larger and more frequent because of climate change in the Western part of the United States.” 2024 was the hottest year on record, and “fire seasons” have now changed to “fire years” because of year-round dryness and warmer temperatures. 

Regardless of the efforts made by scientists, we are more than likely not going to see many climate change prevention measures, as President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax.” Though Trump may not believe climate change to be the cause of these fires, he has shared his opinion regarding the situation.

Trump has called the officials handling the wildfires “incompetent” and questioned why the fires are still burning; however, we have yet to hear what Trump’s plans to put out these fires are and have heard more misinformation from him rather than solutions. Trump blames California Gov. Gavin Newsom for the fires and has said he should resign.

Trump baselessly claimed on Truth Social that Newsom “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.” Newsom has since responded, saying, “Mis- and disinformation I don’t think advantages or aids any of us,” and has launched a web page on his campaign site to fight wildfire misinformation.

While politicians politicalize the wildfires, thousands of displaced Californians are wondering how they will be able to move on from this tragedy after losing so much of what they know. If more politicians focused on finding solutions rather than placing the blame, we could help larger amounts of people at quicker rates. Unfortunately, that is a very unlikely scenario in today's world of politics.