Whoopi Goldberg simply blames ‘the wind’ for LA fires and that it’s ‘nobody’s fault’
Whoopi Goldberg claimed that the devastation caused by the deadly fires in Los Angeles was “no one’s fault” and simply blamed “the wind.”
The 69-year-old actress turned commentator spoke about the fires – which have killed 24 people so far – on ABC’s The View, as officials in California face widespread criticism over the response.
“There was a fire catastrophe in California. It had to do wind – the wind moves things and sparks move things,” Goldberg told the panel.
‘It doesn’t matter how much water you have if 900,000 buildings are going up at the same time.
“Having lived in California and having lost every home except the one we once lived in, I find it very insulting to point fingers.
‘You should be pointing fingers: how can we help? It’s too early to say, oh, it’s Gavin’s fault, it’s nobody’s fault.
“It’s like we’re taking seriously the fact that there are magical lasers in the sky that control the weather. That doesn’t work, that doesn’t happen…
‘We have no control over Mother Nature. Mother Nature doesn’t care what we want.
“Mother Nature does what she does and if you get in the way, this happens, and California is packed with people.”
Whoopi Goldberg has blamed ‘the wind’ for the deadly fires in Los Angeles, saying the widespread destruction they have caused is ‘no one’s fault’
The 69-year-old actress turned commentator spoke about the fires, which have killed 24 people so far, with fellow co-hosts of the ABC talk show The View.
A firefighting helicopter drops water as the fire grows in the Palisades
Extremely dry weather conditions due to prolonged drought, dry vegetation and strong Santa Ana winds reaching up to 80 miles per hour in some areas this week created the “perfect storm” for the fires.
Two people have also been arrested for allegedly setting fires in the county as well, including Ruben Montes, 29, who was arrested Sunday for arson in Irwindale, about 15 miles from Altadena, where the deadly Eaton Fire continues to rage.
Mexican national Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva was also taken into custody after he was reportedly caught on video walking with a yellow blowtorch before being confronted by residents of Calabasas, west of Beverly Hills.
Goldberg was ridiculed on X for her comments, with people posting images of one of the alleged arsonists next to the caption “Mother Nature.”
Others argued that the fires were “preventable.” “The devastation could have been greatly reduced if Democrats like Newsom and Bass had actually done their jobs,” one person said.
Meanwhile, angry Los Angelinos have accused local politicians of a shocking litany of failures that have exacerbated the deadly wildfires currently ravaging the city.
The complaints range from the mayor being absent in Africa, to fire hydrants that no longer have water and electricity, to power cables that are left in place to fan the flames.
Businessman and mayoral candidate Rick Caruso blasted local officials for failing to replenish water supplies despite knowing strong winds were coming that could spark wildfires.
‘The hands (of the fire brigade) are tied. They cannot extinguish a fire without water and the resources needed to do so. Everyone knew these winds were coming,” Caruso said Fox 11.
‘The other question must be: were all the things in place to limit the damage here?
The 69-year-old actress turned commentator spoke about the fires, which have killed 24 people so far, with fellow hosts of the ABC talk show The View.
Meteorologists warned residents in fire-ravaged evacuation zones that wind speeds will increase to 75 mph on Sunday evening and into Wednesday, raising the risk of fires spreading even further across Southern California.
‘The real problem here for me is twofold. We’ve had decades to clear the brush in these hills that’s spreading so quickly, and the second is: we need water.
“It is my understanding that the reservoir was not refilled in a timely manner to keep the hydrants running… these are basic issues, this is not high science here.
“It’s all about leadership and management that we see a failure in, and all these residents are paying the ultimate price for that.”
Governor Gavin Newsom said more than 1,400 firefighters are battling the blazes
Audio of communications between firefighters confirms that first responders ran out of water in some areas.
“We don’t have any water, it’s… we’re doing the best we can up there. We make sure people get out of the way,” said a firefighter.
Attorney and 49-year-old Pacific Palisades native Rachel Darvish, whose home was likely engulfed by the flames, wondered why officials like Mayor Karen Bass hadn’t planned ahead despite knowing “critical” weather conditions were coming.
‘I don’t know if our house is still there. What I can tell you is I have a photo of the neighbor’s house that’s gone,” Darvish told Fox News.
‘We have questions. I know where I am now, but I don’t know where my mayor was when this happened. I now know where she was.’
‘Nobody told us where to go or what to do. I didn’t even have an evacuation order. “I love the fire department, I love our fire personnel (but) we need more, where were they?”
“You’re asking about the emotional toll – I can’t even answer that question yet… I don’t know,” Darvish added.
Speaking of Bass, she continued, “If someone was put in charge of my city, where would you be? Where were you when the decisions should have been made about how to get there and back somewhere.”
The devastating fires in Los Angeles have burned more than 12,000 properties and killed at least 11 people. Officials warned that the death toll is “expected to rise” as recovery efforts continue.
The weather warning also prevents locals from returning home to inspect the damage
Pictured: The Palisades Fire burns near the beach during a storm in LA on Tuesday
Darvish said it was “unbelievable” getting out of the Palisades as traffic piled up as far as the eye could see on a one-lane highway out of town.
“There should have been some forethought,” she said. ‘People got out of their cars to run from the fires.
“We see war zones on TV, we see fires on TV, this is the first time that this small community, which more or less keeps to itself and is happy, has to face something like this.”
“I’m very happy to say I’m doing well,” she added. “But after what we’ve been through, I don’t know why I have to sit in a hotel room, I don’t know why it had to happen to this extent.”
Meteorologists gave ample warning last week that a “recipe for fire” was on its way to hit LA.
Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, warned that the region was extremely dry for this time of year because “we haven’t had significant rain in months.”
“The fuels are at near-critical levels in terms of moisture content,” Thompson said LA times on weekends. “That’s a recipe for fire.”
Writing on Truth Social, President-elect Donald Trump blasted California Governor Gavin Newsom for impeding water supplies.
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water recovery declaration presented to him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water from excess rain and snowmelt from the north to flow daily to many parts of California, including areas currently in be on fire. in an almost apocalyptic way,” Trump wrote.
“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but he didn’t care about the people of California.
‘Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor keep nice, clean, fresh water flowing to CALIFORNIA! He is to blame for this. Moreover, there is no water for fire hydrants and no fire-fighting aircraft. A real disaster!’