The U.S representative from Washington’s 7th congressional district, Pramila Jayapal made a controversial remark while sharing a clip of a McDonald’s fast food restaurant catching fire. She commented,

“Corporations have gotten us into this mess, but even they can’t escape the devastating reality of climate change.”

Across platforms, even AM 770 KTTH covering the Jason Rantz Show, channels outrage in Pramila’s “mockery” amidst a wildfire that has been adversely affecting the lives of individuals while they are faced with new evacuation orders as Palisades fire continues to expand. “Combining a gross oversimplification of climate change with a smug swipe at corporations”, it was stated to exact the easiness in making such an insensitive remark, casting aside the immediate disaster and the policies that were made to respond to it.

Fox News stated that “conservatives on X countered Jayapal's assertion and argued that the devastation caused by the natural disaster was compounded by government incompetence and mismanagement more so than climate change allegedly caused by corporations”.

There are five fires around Los Angeles, and according to California’s Department of Corrections, with hundreds of incarcerated people, nearly 365, are working with career fire-fighters to put out the fires. This is seemingly allowing for forced labour in prison, with barely a pay, an issue which is barely being discussed. And then the question arises, where do the efforts of confronting an issue stray?  

At present, the firefighters require addressing in their six day battle against the wildfires in Los Angeles. There have been at least 24 deaths with many more missing, which has not been determined. The emergency response is being questioned as LA was evidently unprepared to deal with the firestorm.

The Eaton and Palisades fires are on the verge of becoming the second and fourth most destructive fires in the history of California according to Cal Fire.

California is susceptible to wildfires due to natural causes, and increasingly or additionally due to manmade causes which includes climate change. Climate change has remained a long-term effect which will need consistent planning and execution, the causation which resulted in these fires are of many reasons. But immediate responses are necessary to fight the issue at hand. Such as the budget cuts to the Fire Department despite knowing the susceptibility of California to fires.

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