The official cause of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, fuelled by powerful winds and drought-like conditions, is yet to be determined.
But with the blazes still raging, who has been blamed for the devastation that has seen hundreds of homes destroyed homes and at least 16 people killed?
President-elect Donald Trump was quick to point the finger at Joe Biden and California’s governor Gavin Newsom – a Democrat he refers to as “Gavin Newscum”.
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He blamed water conservation priorities for causing hydrants to run dry in parts of Los Angeles.
“It’s a mistake of the governor, and you can say the administration,” he said.
“They don’t have any water. They didn’t have water in the fire hydrants.
“The governor has not done a good job.”
Without specifically naming Mr Trump, Mr Biden reacted to the claim during a briefing at the White House, passing the question to his deputy energy secretary David Turk.
He explained why power lines were shut down in the fire and how that impacted hydrants, saying it was down to a power and pressure issue.
Hydrants need power to pump water up, he said, but during times of disaster power lines are cut to curb the risk of power surges and line breakdowns.
Mr Trump went as far as to call Mr Newsom and LA mayor Karen Bass’ leadership “gross incompetence” and blamed them for “a total wipeout” in Los Angeles.
Mr Newsom, who has also been the target of criticism from residents hit by the devastating wildfires, has invited Mr Trump to survey the area and meet with those affected.
LA mayor Karen Bass speaks to the media
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In a letter, he said: “In the spirit of this great country, we must not politicise human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines.”
He has also called for an independent investigation into the issues of water pressure and supply, saying “we need answers to ensure this does not happen again”.
More than 90,000 people have signed an online petition calling on Ms Bass to resign, accusing her of a “failure” to respond to the fires gripping the city.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley. File pic: AP
The city mayor, who was on a visit to Ghana when the fires broke out, is also facing fierce criticism for $17.8m (£14.5m) in budget cuts for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Fire chief Kristin Crowley said they had “negatively impacted” her team’s ability to tackle the fires.
She told CNN “the fire department needs help” and there are not enough staff or fire stations, and in an interview with KTTV if the city had failed the LAFD she responded, “yes”.
Ms Bass has denied that the reduction had an impact on firefighting efforts during this week’s crisis and sought to ease the tension amid rumours Ms Crowley would be sacked.
“The fire chief and I are focused on fighting these fires and saving lives, and any differences that we might have will be worked out in private,” Ms Bass said at a news conference.
Ms Crowley, who is gay and the city’s first female fire chief, had herself been swept into the national political debate with conservatives claiming diversity, equity and inclusion policies have gone too far in US institutions.
She has made diversifying the overwhelmingly male department a priority, but there’s no evidence that her efforts have hampered the fight.
