Who's to blame? Californians seek answers amid Los Angeles wildfires

Californians on Friday demanded to know who is at fault for the vast devastation caused by the raging Los Angeles wildfires.

At least 11 people died as flames ripped through neighborhoods and razed thousands of homes in a disaster that U.S. President Joe Biden likened to a "war scene."

While Angelenos grapple with the heart-rending ruin, anger has risen over officials' preparedness and response, particularly for a series of false evacuation alarms and after hydrants ran dry as firefighters battled the initial blazes.

Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday ordered a "full independent review" of the city's utilities, describing the lack of water supplies during the initial fires as "deeply troubling."

Los Angeles city and county officials have described the wildfires as an extraordinary "perfect storm" scenario, where powerful winds reaching speeds of 100 miles per hour thwarted early efforts to use aircraft to deliver water and fire retardant to parched neighborhoods. 

Experts say the devastating outcome was unavoidable due to a combination of extreme winds, unusually dry weather and the rapid emergence of multiple fires in proximity, according to CNN.

Even if all hydrants had been operational, they would have been insufficient to combat this week's massive wildfires, experts told CNN.

President-elect Donald Trump, blaming the shortage of hydrants on Newsom in a social media post on Wednesday, said the governor "refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water" to put out the fires.

While that specific declaration doesn't exist, according to Newsom's press office and multiple U.S. media outlets, the governor has previously opposed efforts to redirect more water to southern California.

In a 2020 presidential memorandum, Trump attempted to redirect water from northern California to agricultural areas in the southern part of the state, an effort opposed by Newsom and eventually blocked by California's attorney general, who cited potential harm to endangered species such as the Delta smelt.

"While efforts to save Delta smelt, along with salmon and steelhead trout, do reduce the amount of water that is moved from northern California by the state at certain times, it has no bearing on the current availability of water for fire-fighting," Jeffrey Mount, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California's Water Policy Center, told the BCC.

Despite the ongoing drought in southern California, data reveals that nearly all reservoirs in the region are currently above their historical average for this time of year, with none showing critically low levels, the BBC reported.

In response to Trump's criticism, Newsom invited him to visit Los Angeles and survey the devastation together.

"In the spirit of this great country, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines," said Newsom.

Authorities have said it was too early to know the cause of the blazes.

Wildfires occur naturally, but scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather and changing the dynamics of the blazes.

Two wet years in southern California have given way to a very dry one, leaving ample fuel on the ground primed to burn.

Emergency managers apologized Friday after false evacuation alerts were erroneously sent to millions of mobile phones, sparking panic.

"I can't express enough how sorry I am," said Kevin McGowan, the director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management.

Los Angeles fire chief Kristin Crowley blamed recent funding cuts, telling Fox News affiliate KTTV her department was chronically "understaffed" and "under-resourced."

(With input from agencies)