Melania Trump breaks silence on ‘devastating’ California fires

Melania Trump expressed her condolences for the victims of the California wildfires and said she hoped President Joe Biden’s administration would get people the help they need.

‘It’s devastating. I think about those people and I pray for them,” she told Fox News.

“I just hope that everyone has been evacuated and that they are safe, and I hope that the government and FEMA are there to help them,” she added.

Melania Trump spoke to Fox News for an interview that will air Monday, but the network released a clip Friday of her talking about the fires that have killed 10 people and caused millions in damage.

The new first lady is preparing to move into the White House. She is also working on a documentary that will air on Amazon. The internet retailer bought the rights to it for $40 million.

The so-called Palisades Fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on LA’s west flank and the Eaton Fire to the east near Pasadena already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history, covering more than 34,000 acres (13,750 hectares) – or about 53 square kilometers.

At least 10,000 buildings have been set on fire and thousands of people have frantically fled their homes.

At least 180,000 residents are under evacuation orders due to all the fires in the province, officials said.

The Palisades Fire is now 6% contained, while the Eaton Fire is still burning out of control, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Los Angeles sky buzzed with planes dropping water and fire retardant on the flaming hill.

A slew of notable locations, including Sunset Boulevard dividing the upscale Pacific Palisades, were engulfed by punishing flames that tore through both residential and commercial areas and reduced buildings to burned-out shells.

Banks, restaurants, gas stations and homes were left in smoldering ruins along the iconic boulevard, where bulldozers were forced to remove luxury motorbikes and clear a path for emergency services and firefighters.

The government has not yet released figures on the costs of the damage, but privately it has forecaster AccuWeather estimated the economic loss at $135 billion to $150 billion, predicting a difficult recovery and sending homeowners’ insurance costs soaring.

A firefighter sets a backburn in front of the advancing Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, January 9, 2025

“We are already looking ahead to aggressively rebuilding the city of Los Angeles,” said Democrat Mayor Karen Bass, who has faced harsh criticism from newly elected President Donald Trump, other Republicans and LA business magnates over her handling of the disaster.

President Joe Biden, who declared a major disaster on Tuesday, pledged Thursday that the federal government would provide 100% of recovery costs over the next 180 days to pay for the removal of debris and hazardous materials, temporary shelter and first responder salaries.

“I told the governor and local officials to spare no effort to do what they have to do and contain these fires,” Biden said after meeting with senior advisers at the White House.

Biden said his message to the people of Southern California is: “We are with you. We’re not going anywhere.’

But with less than two weeks left in his term, it’s a promise he may not keep.

Trump takes over on January 20, and he feuded with California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, over wildfires during his first term as president.

Trump has referred to Newsom lately by putting a derogatory spin on his last name. He has also blamed Newsom for the fire currently raging in Los Angeles.

But Biden pledged to help the state in his remaining days in charge.

“We stand by this,” Biden said. ‘We expect there will be a temporary break in winds, but in some areas winds are likely to persist well into next week.’

As Biden turned the floor over to Vice President Kamala Harris, he noted that she was “directly affected.”

Harris is a former senator from California and her home there was in the evacuation zone, but it was not clear if it was damaged. She described the scene as “apocalyptic.”

“This is something that will have an impact for months and years to come,” she said.

In addition, Harris canceled the last foreign trip of her term due to the wildfires, her office announced Thursday.

Her decision follows a similar decision by President Biden, who was scheduled to travel to Rome this week to visit Pope Francis and meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but instead stayed in Washington.

Harris planned to visit Singapore, Bahrain and Germany from January 13 to 17.

In total, five wildfires broke out in Los Angeles County, with the largest Palisades fire containing just 6% and the Eaton fire containing 0%. The sky buzzed with planes dropping retardant and water on the flaming hills.

Officials urged late Thursday for more people to heed evacuation orders after another fire ignited and quickly spread.

The fast-moving Kenneth Fire started in the late afternoon in the San Fernando Valley, just two miles from a school serving as a shelter for fire evacuees, and moved into neighboring Ventura County by the evening.