Los Angeles wildfires: Who's been blamed for response shortcomings?
· Sky NewsThe official cause of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, fuelled by powerful winds and drought-like conditions, is yet to be determined.
But with the blazes still raging, causing devastation that has seen hundreds of homes destroyed and at least 16 people killed, who has been blamed over shortcomings in the response?
Donald Trump leads fierce criticism
President-elect Donald Trump was quick to point the finger at Joe Biden and California's governor Gavin Newsom - a Democrat he refers to as "Gavin Newscum".
LA fires latest: Looters dress as firefighters
He blamed water conservation priorities, including those related to the endangered Delta smelt fish, for causing hydrants to run dry in parts of Los Angeles.
"It's a mistake of the governor, and you can say the administration," he said.
"They don't have any water. They didn't have water in the fire hydrants.
"The governor has not done a good job."
Without specifically naming Mr Trump, Mr Biden reacted to the claim during a briefing at the White House, passing the question to his deputy energy secretary David Turk.
He explained why power lines were shut down in the fire and how that impacted hydrants, saying it was down to a power and pressure issue.
Hydrants need power to pump water up, he said, but during times of disaster power lines are cut to curb the risk of power surges and line breakdowns.
Mr Trump went as far as to call Mr Newsom and LA mayor Karen Bass' leadership "gross incompetence" and blamed them for "a total wipeout" in Los Angeles.
He said in a social media post: "This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our country. They just can't put out the fires. What's wrong with them?"
California governor hits back
Mr Newsom, who has also been the target of criticism from residents hit by the devastating wildfires, has invited Mr Trump to survey the area and meet those affected, but said the president-elect has not yet responded.
Read more:
What we know about the people killed?
What caused the fires?
In an interview with Sky News' US partner network NBC, he took aim at those "creating a crisis" by taking "cheap political shots" and criticised the spreading of "mis and disinformation".
"Somehow connecting the Delta smelt to this fire, which is inexcusable because it's inaccurate - also incomprehensible to anyone that understands water policy in the state," he said.
Trump claimed policies related to the endangered Delta smelt fish affected how much water could be pumped out of its habitat.
He also criticised what he said was Mr Trump's suggestions he would withhold aid for California wildfires, saying he was "threatening the first responders".
Mr Newsom has called for an independent investigation into the issues of water pressure and supply but insisted it was "not about finger pointing".
LA mayor under fire
Asked if he had faith in the LA mayor, Mr Newsom did not back her by name but said he had "absolute faith in our community, adding: "I have faith in our leaders. I have the faith of our capacity to work together."
More than 90,000 people have signed an online petition calling on Ms Bass to resign, accusing her of a "failure" to respond to the fires gripping the city.
The city mayor, who was on a visit to Ghana when the fires broke out, is also facing fierce criticism for $17.8m (£14.5m) in budget cuts for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Fire chief embroiled in political row
Fire chief Kristin Crowley said they had "negatively impacted" her team's ability to tackle the fires.
She told CNN "the fire department needs help" and there are not enough staff or fire stations, and in an interview with KTTV when asked if the city had failed the LAFD she responded, "yes".
Get Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow our channel and never miss an update
Ms Bass has denied that the reduction had an impact on firefighting efforts during this week's crisis and sought to ease the tension amid rumours Ms Crowley would be sacked.
"The fire chief and I are focused on fighting these fires and saving lives, and any differences that we might have will be worked out in private," Ms Bass said at a news conference.
Ms Crowley, who is gay and the city's first female fire chief, had herself been swept into the national political debate with conservatives claiming diversity, equity and inclusion policies have gone too far in US institutions.
She has made diversifying the overwhelmingly male department a priority, but there's no evidence that her efforts have hampered the fight.