President-elect Donald Trump has launched a sharp critique of California Governor Gavin Newsom, blaming him for the state's devastating fires and accusing him of prioritizing environmental policies, including protections for the endangered delta smelt fish, over the needs of Californians.

On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump claimed Newsom's refusal to sign a "water restoration declaration" caused inadequate water supplies for firefighting efforts, labeling the situation "a true disaster."

Southern California is experiencing its most devastating winter fires in more than four decades. Fires don’t usually blaze at this time of year, but specific ingredients have come together to defy the calendar in a fast and deadly manner.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass became stone-faced when confronted by a reporter as she returned to America to find her city burning Wednesday.

“Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning, and do you regret cutting the fire department budget by millions of dollars, Madam Mayor?” Sky News reporter David Blevins asked as Bass waited to deplane.

The financial sector appears to be getting cold feet about efforts to curb the effects of climate change. Five of the six largest banks in the United States have pulled out of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) since Dec. 6th, according to a recent report by Reuters.

(The Center Square) – Within one month of each other, six of the largest U.S. banks left the United Nations Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) not soon after Donald Trump was elected president.

Last month, Goldman Sachs was the first to withdraw from the alliance, followed by Wells Fargo, The Center Square reported.

LONDON, Jan 7 (Reuters) - JPMorgan (JPM.N), opens new tab said on Tuesday it was leaving the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, the latest U.S. lender to quit the sector's biggest climate coalition amid rising U.S. political pressure.

Extraordinarily powerful winds and gusts — of up to 99 mph — have been reported as three major wildfires burn homes and businesses in Los Angeles County on Wednesday morning.

The National Weather Service reported a gust of 99 mph near Altadena at 10:20 p.m. Tuesday; 98 mph near Woodland Hills at 9:37 p.m.; and 84 mph at Hollywood Burbank Airport at 8:30 p.m.

Three wildfires are ripping through parts of Los Angeles County, all at 0% containment as of Wednesday morning.

There are currently no fatalities reported due to the fires. Multiple people have been injured, including at least one firefighter, but the exact number is unclear.

As of Wednesday morning, more than 322,365 people were without power in California, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us, 

At least 30,000 residents in Southern California were forced to evacuate due to multiple devastating wildfires that have destroyed thousands of acres in the area.