Pope Francis ‘Weeps’

Pope Francis on Saturday expressed his sadness over the havoc caused by the giant California wildfires and expressed his spiritual closeness with the victims in a telegram to the archbishop of Los Angeles.

“Saddened by the loss of life and the widespread destruction,” the pontiff expressed his “spiritual closeness” with the victims, Vatican number two Pietro Parolin wrote in the telegram.

At least 11 people died as flames ripped through neighbourhoods and razed thousands of homes in a disaster that US 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.”

“We need answers to how that happened,” he wrote in an open letter.

Five separate fires have so far burned more than 37,000 acres (15,000 hectares), destroying around 10,000 buildings, California’s fire agency reported.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed an additional fatality on Friday, bringing the overall death toll so far to 11.

AFP