Biden to speak after briefing on devastating California wildfires

Washington — President Biden plans to speak Thursday after being briefed at the White House about the wildfires destroying neighborhoods across the Los Angeles area, where roughly 179,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes. 

Five separate fires have so far killed at least five people, leveling homes and scorching vegetation and wildlife in their wake. The Palisades fire along the coast is the largest one, followed by a fire in Pasadena. The president is expected to speak sometime after 4:30 p.m.

Officials Thursday said more than 1,300 structures have burned, with 60,000 structures threatened, as the blazes burn largely uncontained in densely populated and expensive neighborhoods of Southern California. 

Mr. Biden was supposed to speak in Thermal, California, earlier this week, but his remarks were canceled due to excessive high winds. He was briefed on the fires while in California instead. The president canceled a trip to Italy to see Pope Francis and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni this week so he could focus on the federal response to the blazes.

The president approved California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request for a presidential major disaster declaration, freeing up federal resources to support the response. Congress may need to pass supplemental funding to buoy funding for rebuilding efforts. 

The federal government has pledged to give California whatever help it needs. U.S. Forest Service air tankers and 10 federal firefighting helicopters are working to cut off the fires, and the Forest Service has positioned dozens of fire engines, the White House said Wednesday. The Pentagon has also readied firefighting personnel and capabilities.

The president was briefed on the latest about the fires and response to them Thursday before the late President Jimmy Carter’s funeral.

Hurricane-force Santa Ana winds, dry conditions and a lack of sufficient water have fueled the fires. High winds are expected into Friday.