Madre Fire scorches over 70,000 acres in California as governor slams Trump over firefighting cuts

Los Angeles: A massive wildfire has been raging across California’s San Luis Obispo County for three days, scorching more than 70,000 acres and forcing evacuations as firefighters battle to control the flames, while Governor Gavin Newsom has criticised President Trump over federal firefighting budget cuts.

Named the Madre Fire, the blaze erupted on Wednesday in the rural county. It has rapidly engulfed 70,800 acres (28,700 hectares), according to the latest update from Cal Fire, which has deployed over 600 personnel and 40 fire engines to manage the situation.

Roughly 200 people were ordered to evacuate as the fire threatened dozens of structures. It is the largest blaze so far this year in California, which was scarred by wildfires that destroyed swaths of Los Angeles at the start of the year.

This summer is the first since President Donald Trump announced plans to gut federal agencies tasked with fighting climate disaster.

Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday expressed deep concern over the lack of federal support, revealing that 15 new fires had sparked on federally managed land in just 24 hours. He urged President Donald Trump to focus on firefighting resources.

"Trump needs to WAKE UP and start funding federal firefighters and land-management teams in these rural communities -- instead of giving tax cuts to billionaires," Newsom, a Democrat, wrote on X.

"Trump's incompetence is endangering lives."

A separate statement from the governor's press office said Friday that the Madre Fire "remains in a very isolated location -- away from homes."

It comes after several other blazes, raising fears of a difficult summer ahead for the state already traumatized by the wildfires that killed 30 people in January.

Southern California had an unusually dry winter and spring, and vegetation is already parched, UCLA extreme climate events specialist Daniel Swain has said.

Intense and widespread heat this summer, and dry brush "will heavily factor into burning conditions later this season," he added.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has ordered budget and personnel cuts at the Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and FEMA, the federal agency that coordinates disaster response.

On Wednesday, Newsom accused the Republican president of not funding enough wildfire prevention projects.

"We need an equivalent commitment of resources -- not rhetoric," Newsom told reporters, noting that more than half of the land in California is under federal jurisdiction.

AFP