In his first recent comments on the California fires, President Donald Trump threatened to cut U.S. aid funding to the state. The state controls just 3% of forest land in California, while the federal government owns 57%, according to numbers provided by the Newsom's office. Last year Trump made a similar threat as wildfires devastated Malibu and Paradise, California — accusing the state of "gross mismanagement" of forests. The causes of both fires were under investigation but there was a possibility that electrical lines might have been involved — as was the case at other recent fires. Southern California Edison said Friday that it re-energized a 16,000-volt power line 13 minutes before the fire erupted in the same area of Ventura County.

Source: ABC News November 03, 2019 16:49 UTC