California officials say climate change is to blame for the wildfires that rage in the state for nearly a month.



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California Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee reiterated that the fires in their states are the result of the climate crisis, challenging President Donald Trump’s claims that they were the result of mismanagement of the land.

During a briefing on Monday, Newsom said the record temperatures and drought conditions, which have fueled the recent fires, have been going on for years due to climate change. He stressed the importance of addressing climate change while fighting fires.

“Climate change is real,” said Newsom, who met with Trump on Monday.

“It’s about acknowledging science, not believing facts or not believing facts, facts are facts. Science is science, it’s about acknowledging science and acknowledging facts,” Newsom said. “The hot spots are getting a lot hotter, the dry ones are getting a lot drier.”

Newsom said the meeting was an opportunity to remind the president that 57% of wooded land in the state of California is under federal jurisdiction., while only 3% is under state control.

He said it should be the joint responsibility of the state and federal government to do more in vegetation management and forest management.

“We can’t do this alone,” Newsom said. “We are going to need the federal government to make a substantial step forward.”

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Garcetti echoed that sentiment Monday.

“Our federal agencies step up and help us and they know we need their help,” Garcetti told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on “AC360,” adding that he believes the president is blaming the state based on political motives.

“The leader at the top continues to rely on the electoral map to, you know, denounce California for not having won enough,” Garcetti said. “He doesn’t say any of that in an indecisive state. On the Gulf Coast, he doesn’t assign blame for the hurricanes or anything they’ve done. He seems partisan at a time that we should be apolitical and that we should find our common ground. in United States “.

“Denial doesn’t work when it comes to the weather,” Garcetti said. “The cost of denial is that people lose their lives and their livelihoods.”

Dozens of dead and missing in fires

At least 25 people have died in the California wildfires. The deadliest, the North Complex Fire, has claimed 15 lives and grown to more than 260,000 acres in four counties.

On Monday, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office identified seven dead victims in Berry Creek, ranging in age from 16 to 79.

This family left their Oregon home as a precaution.  They returned to find it destroyed
Deaths have already been recorded in Oregon and Washington, where multiple fires are creating smoky conditions and poor visibility.
Nearly 1 million acres have burned in Oregon, according to the state’s fire board, which also shows 10 people have died.

“Unfortunately, we are now learning of 10 fire-related deaths, as confirmed by our state medical examiner. I have no reports on these deaths,” Gov. Kate Brown said during a news conference Monday, adding that she and her husband They are “holding these families in our hearts during this extremely difficult time.”

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As firefighters continue to fight multiple fires, authorities have reported 22 people are losing the state, an update from the state Office of Emergency Management said Monday.

“As of today, 22 people associated with these fires have been reported missing,” Emergency Management Director Andrew Phelps said Monday.

“If you are concerned about missing family members, report that concern to your local law enforcement agency,” Phelps said.

He also encouraged people who are evacuating to register with the American Red Cross so officials and loved ones know they are safe.

Smoke conditions suffocate Washington

There are currently nine major wildfires in Washington state, the two largest – the Pearl Hill and Cold Springs fires – burning side by side and have collectively burned 412,582 acres as of Monday night, according to the Washington State Department. of Natural Resources.
Smoke from wildfires obscures the Space Needle and the Seattle skyline on September 12.

Thick smoke has blanketed much of the region, walled in by mountain ranges that line the Pacific Northwest.

“Right now, pretty much the entire state is covered in a puff of smoke that is incredibly irritating, downright unhealthy and dangerous,” Inslee told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Monday night in the “Situation Room.”

“We’ve had dozens and dozens and dozens of houses burned down, entire towns destroyed,” Inslee said, adding that the state “lost a beautiful child.”

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“That is a tragedy,” he said. The governor said his state and others are seeing the effects of climate change during this fire season.

“This is a disaster in any dimension, but a disaster in particular because our state became a tinder for climate change,” Insle said. “Now we have grass that is almost like gasoline. One spark will explode it. We have fires that only create 20, 30 foot high walls of fire from grass and sage bushes.”

The sage grass and shrub fires have “consumed entire villages,” Inslee said.

Malden, in eastern Washington, saw 80% of its buildings destroyed in a firestorm on Labor Day weekend.
The fire ripped through several homes and civic offices, including the fire station, post office, city hall and library, the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Post offices temporarily closed due to fires

Dozens of United States Postal Service (USPS) offices have had to temporarily close due to wildfires and high winds in the west, according to the postal service website.

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Twelve locations in both California and Oregon, and one location in Washington, have closed.

The USPS website directs customers to other locations to pick up their mail and packages.

CNN’s Michael Guy, Jennifer Selva, Artemis Moshtaghian and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.

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