FACT CHECK

Experts: Trump Is Wrong About State Policies Making CA Wildfires Worse

The state is not lacking water, and the fires have nothing to do with environmental laws, experts say.

While President Trump claimed on Monday that California Gov. Jerry Brown’s “bad environmental laws” were were “foolishly” letting water be “diverted into the Pacific Ocean” while the state experiences the second-worst wildfires in its history, experts say that water was not a scarce resource in the firefight. “We have plenty of water,” said Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told NBC News. “The Carr Fire is around three reservoirs. The Mendocino fires are by Clear Lake and other reservoirs. We are not having any issues with a lack of retardant or water.” A UCLA wildfire expert also told the network that the president seemed to have a “basic misunderstanding of what wildfire is in the state of California, what caused them and the resources used to fight the fire.” When asked for comment about the tweet, Gov. Brown’s office said it “does not merit a response.” The fires have killed seven people, destroyed 75 homes, and spawned a fire tornado that ravaged a Northern California neighborhood.