Multiple Democratic officials were quick to point to climate change after the devastating Pacific Palisades fires ravished California earlier this year, though the Trump administration announced Wednesday that the fires were lit by an arsonist.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced Wednesday that a suspect was arrested in connection with the criminal investigation into the January Palisades fire that burned for 24 days, eviscerated acres of land, destroyed homes and killed a dozen people. Several Democratic officials almost immediately posted about how climate change caused or worsened the fire in January, long before the cause of arson was discovered.
“Donald Trump must treat this like the existential crisis it is,” Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders wrote on X on Jan. 8. “Climate change is real, not ‘a hoax.’”
80,000 people told to evacuate.
Blazes 0% contained.
Eight months since the area has seen rain.
The scale of damage and loss is unimaginable.
Climate change is real, not “a hoax.”
Donald Trump must treat this like the existential crisis it is. pic.twitter.com/TDyZZEPmoI
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 8, 2025
Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey wrote that the wildfires in Los Angeles were “climate change-induced” on Jan. 30, as well as Democratic California Sen. Alex Padilla on Jan. 24. Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse also called out President Donald Trump over the fires and climate change in January.
“Nice to see Time magazine calling out the Trump lies and putting accountability where it belongs: on climate change driven by decades of fossil fuel false propaganda and political corruption,” Whitehouse wrote Jan. 10.
Democratic California Rep. Jared Huffman wrote on Jan. 10 that “right now, our priority is immediate aid and safety for those affected. Once relief is secured, it’s time to demand real action. The GOP majority can no longer ignore the climate crisis or the solutions that will actually make meaningful change.”
Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted that the conditions were “unprecedented,” with Bass branding the fire as a “natural disaster” and Newsom stressing that “climate change is here and it is real” in January.
“Two things can be true: a wildfire was started by arson and was spread by hurricane-force winds that are increasing because of climate change,” a spokesperson for Newsom’s office told the Daily Caller News Foundation and linked to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fact sheet on how climate change might have influenced the fires.
As we witness more tragic climate change-induced disasters like the wildfires in Los Angeles, broadcast AM radio continues to be a critical lifeline for people across the country. That’s why I’m reintroducing my AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act.
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) January 30, 2025
Emergency management and policy experts told the DCNF previously that the January Palisades and Eaton fires were exacerbated by a key reservoir sitting empty for months in the lead-up to the fires and fire extinguishers running dry due to water infrastructure issues.
“We saw this coming, and we have said, ‘I told you so’ every time there’s been a super fire. This time, the super fire happens to be even more catastrophic, because it’s happening in one of the most densely populated areas in the United States,” Edward Ring, director of water and energy policy for the California Policy Center, told the DCNF previously. “It’s the same message, which is that we have neglected our water infrastructure. We have mismanaged our forests and chaparral in the name of environmentalism, and we’re paying the price.”
Newsom announced at the time that he would call for an investigation probing the factors that led up to fire hydrant failure and the reported unavailability of the reservoir.
Notably, several legacy media outlets were also quick to attribute the Palisades fire damage to climate change.
Staff for Bass, Markey, Padilla, Whitehouse, Huffman and Sanders did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screen Capture/PBS NewsHour)
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