Five new fires broke out in Southern California ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the state.
The fires — named Laguna, Sepulveda, Gibbel, Gilman and Border 2 — burned Thursday in Los Angeles, San Diego, Ventura and Riverside.
Meanwhile, firefighters made progress in bringing the 10,000-acre Hughes fire in Los Angeles under control, 36% contained since it broke out on Wednesday.
Wildfires have ravaged the US state over the past few weeks, with the Palisades and Eaton fires combined to burn more than 37,000 acres and kill at least 28 people.
Here are some details on the latest fires, based on updates from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire):
- The Border 2 fire in San Diego has burned 800 acres. Evacuation orders are currently in effect
- The Laguna Fire in Ventura, which covers 94 acres, is 70% contained
- The Sepulveda Fire in Los Angeles is 45 acres and 60% contained. In an update posted on X, the Los Angeles Fire Department said it had contained the fire and evacuation orders had been lifted
- The Gibbel Fire broke out in Riverside County, burning 15 acres. Fire crews managed to prevent the fire from spreading
- The blaze dubbed the “Gilman Fire” in San Diego covers two acres, but the spread of the fire has been stopped
Trump is scheduled to visit Los Angeles on Friday to survey the fire damage.
The recently inaugurated president has been critical of the response to the wildfires and has threatened to withhold federal aid if California fails to change the way it manages water supplies.
He has criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom and repeatedly claimed the state has water problems because it diverted supplies to save a small fish called a snot.
When asked by US media if he would end funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Trump said: “I might have to do that. Sometimes that’s the only thing you can do. California is a great example of that.
“If you really poll people, they don’t want sanctuary cities, but Gavin Newsom does. And these radical left politicians do.”
Brian Rice, president of the California Professional Firefighters Association, told the BBC he hoped Trump would not withhold the state’s federal aid.
“The most important focus we have is getting federal aid to California, to these communities where people have lost their lives, their homes,” he said.
“In the history of this country, federal disaster relief has never been tied to if you do this, you get that. This is an ongoing debate, that has never happened.”
The Hughes fire — the state’s third-largest after the Palisades and Eaton fires — forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate after it broke out Wednesday.
According to Cal Fire, crews were able to make progress Thursday in containing the fast-moving fire.
In an update Friday, the U.S. National Weather Service said dry weather and “elevated fire conditions” will persist in Southern California, before rain is expected to bring relief to wildfire-hit areas over the weekend.
