Inevitably, and depressingly, the wildfires in southern California have been heavily politicised even while the terrified residents are seeking refuge and the firefighters are trying to bring the situation under control.
Never missing an opportunity to turn some human tragedy to partisan advantage, president-elect Donald Trump has attacked the governor of California, Democrat Gavin Newsom for allegedly failing to protect water supplies for fire hydrants and prioritising the endangered smelt fish over the inhabitants of Los Angeles. Irrespective of its ecological function, Mr Trump blames the effort to save what he calls “an essentially worthless fish” for this vast natural disaster.
