At first glance, fish and wildfires seem to have little in common. But as winds reaching 100 miles per hour fueled catastrophic blazes across Los Angeles, incoming President Donald Trump placed the blame on a tiny, endangered fish that lives hundreds of miles away.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused California Governor Gavin Newsom of prioritizing the Delta smeltโa three-inch fishโover public safety.
He claimed Newsom refused to sign an agreement that would have redirected water from the stateโs north to southern areas. Newsom’s refusal, Trump alleged, supposedly leaving LAโs fire hydrants dry and contributing to what he described as โapocalypticโ fires.
The problem? None of that is true.
Trumpโs post was part of a flood of misinformation circulating on social media as the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires wreaked havoc. These wildfires, now the most destructive in LAโs history, have leveled thousands of homes, displaced over 130,000 people, and claimed at least five lives.
Yet Trumpโs post made no mention of the real culprits: climate change and risky urban planning. Instead, the endangered smelt was cast as a villain in a crisis it had nothing to do with.
Misinformation in the Midst of Disaster
The LA wildfires highlight how misinformation can muddy the waters during natural disasters, exacerbating confusion and even jeopardizing lives. Misinformation and political finger-pointing, like Trumpโs, distract from meaningful solutions and undermine public trust.
โThis kind of misinformation isnโt just inappropriateโitโs dangerous,โ said Ashley Overhouse, a water policy advisor at Defenders of Wildlife. Sheโs spent years advocating for the Delta smelt, which has long been a scapegoat for Californiaโs water woes. โIt reveals a profound misunderstanding of our water systems and wildfire challenges.โ
The real story is one of shifting climates and urban vulnerabilities.
California has been experiencing โweather whiplash,โ with the last few years swinging between record droughts and heavy rainfall. After a severe drought from 2020 to 2022, 2023 brought 10 inches more rain than usual. But recently, Southern California has seen record-dry conditions, leaving vegetation primed to burn. Add to that the powerful Santa Ana winds, now blowing more frequently in winter, and you have a recipe for year-round fire risk.
โItโs not just that fires happenโtheyโre a natural part of ecosystems,โ said Sara McTarnaghan, a researcher at the Urban Institute. โThe problem is how much faster and more devastating theyโve become due to climate change.โ
The Role of Urban Planning
Natural fires turn into disasters when we build communities in fire-prone areas. For years, cities like Los Angeles have failed to adapt to changing climates, leaving residents vulnerable. LA Mayor Karen Bass warned, โDue to climate change, we will continue to see unusual and extreme weather events.โ
But Bass has faced her own share of scrutiny.
Critics slammed her for traveling to Ghana as the fires began, though she returned Wednesday to lead the response. Social media has been awash with claimsโsome accurate, some wildly misleadingโabout her handling of the crisis, including accusations of cutting the fire departmentโs budget.
In reality, the story is more nuanced: while the budget technically decreased, funds were reallocated to support new firefighter contracts.
The Smelt Scapegoat Returns
As firefighters battled the infernos, some 200 fire hydrants ran dry, leading to speculation that Californiaโs water policies were to blame. Officials explained the real reason: unprecedented demand caused water tanks to temporarily run out. But that didnโt stop Trump from reviving one of his favorite targets: the Delta smelt.
The smelt, native to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, hasnโt been seen in the wild in years but remains protected under federal and state laws. Trump has attacked the fish before, claiming water meant for farming and firefighting is instead wasted to โsave the smelt.โ In reality, water flows in the delta help maintain the health of an entire ecosystem, supporting not just wildlife but also farming and drinking water quality.
โDelta smelt are like the canary in the coal mine for ecosystem collapse,โ Overhouse explained. โBlaming them for LAโs water issues ignores the complexity of our water system and spreads dangerous misinformation.โ
Even if the smeltโs protections were lifted, water wouldnโt flow to Los Angeles. Californiaโs water laws prioritize Central Valley farmers, not urban firefighting.
Wildfires: The Bigger Picture
As LA battles its most destructive fires, the cityโs water infrastructure and fire response systems are under intense scrutiny. But focusing on scapegoats like the smelt or budget cuts only distracts from the larger issues: climate change and the need for smarter urban planning.
โWhen disasters strike, itโs easy for emotions to take over and misinformation to spread,โ said Mayor Bass. The challenge now is ensuring that the cityโand the nationโdoesnโt lose sight of the real solutions needed to tackle a warming world and its increasingly dangerous consequences.
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