California officials warn of flood risks from rain after Trump adds conditions to LA fire aid: Live updates

California firefighters are working for a third day to extinguish the Hughes fire that erupted and engulfed more than 10,000 acres across Los Angeles.

At its most devastating, the flames raced across Castaic, an unincorporated community north of LA, at a speed of 23 football fields every minute.

Since January 7, the area has been plagued by two other massive wildfires, the Palisades and Eaton fires. More than 50,000 acres of southern Californian land has been torched, 28 lives lost and thousands of homes destroyed in just over two weeks.

A storm is expected to relieve the wildfire-ravaged region this weekend.

Los Angeles and Ventura Counties could see half an inch to an inch of rain from Saturday afternoon through Monday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Even more precipitation — one inch or two inches — could hit the mountains, the agency predicted.

The rain, which could be the most the area has experienced since April, could help the vegetation become less susceptible to catching fire and could improve air quality in the region that has been devastated by massive wildfires since January 7.

The deadly and destructive Palisades and Eaton fires, which started burning weeks ago in LA County, are still raging on but are now mostly contained.

The Hughes fire, the latest blaze to ravage the county, has scorched more than 10,000 acres since it erupted on Wednesday. It’s now 87 percent contained.

Meanwhile, the Border 2 fire that has been making its way through San Diego since Thursday already spans more than 6,500 acres — and it’s barely contained.

Here’s where all of the wildfires stand:

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) said it plans to reopen schools as soon as Monday — but not all parents think it’s the best idea.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the district said its staff “has worked diligently to prepare schools for a return to in-person instruction.” These preparation steps include replacing filters, installing air purifiers, and monitoring the school’s ventilation systems.

But still, some are worried that the schools are reopening in-person education too soon.

The LAUSD “has never experienced a disaster like this in their history,” Kelli Ferrone, a parent to two children at Canyon Charter Elementary School, told the AP. One of her daughters has asthma.

Ferrone continued: “And I do think people are trying really hard, but our school needs a new temporary home with classrooms and teachers teaching in-person. That is the only thing that is going to make people feel comfortable.”

This school falls within the “do not drink water” advisory, meaning water bottles will be provided as the school’s water fountains are turned off.

Much-needed rainfall is expected to hit Southern California, an area that has been devastated by wildfires since early January.

LA is expected to see the most rain since April, according to AccuWeather.

“Despite being smack in the middle of the rainy season, brush conditions over Southern California are currently as dry as they ever get in the summer (the dry season),” AccuWeather California Expert Ken Clark said. “So when you throw dry air and Santa Ana winds into the mix, you have prime ingredients for wildfires.”

As critical fire weather ends in Southern California this week, residents have been warned about continuing threats from a weekend storm that could result in dangerous flash flooding and debris flows in wildfire burn scar areas.

Following a series of devastating and deadly wildfires, forecasters have said the region can expect mountain snow, rain, cooler temperatures, and a “small but non-zero threat of a thunderstorm moving over a burn area.”

Areas in Los Angeles County will likely see about three-quarters of an inch of rain following months without precipitation, according to KTLA.

More details in our full story.

Trump’s slew of misinformation about the disaster hasn’t helped.

Los Angeles County’s response to the furious fires — which have resulted in the deaths of 28 people and left thousands without homes in some of the area’s most affluent communities — has been put under a microscope since they started more than two weeks ago, following months without rain and hurricane-force winds.

Officials have faced harsh criticism from politicians and residents alike. Newly sworn-in President Donald Trump and Republicans have traded shots at California’s Democratic leadership, insisting that more could have been done to help prevent the tragedy. But, many of the president’s statements about how the Golden State should have prepared and other related logistical elements have been ignorant of the role of climate change and are rooted in inaccuracy and a contentious relationship with Governor Gavin Newsom.

Julia Musto has the story.

The president continued his magnanimous tone during a public discussion at a firehouse.

“We’re going to be with you,” Trump said. “Your governor met us at the plane. We had a good talk, very positive talk. We have to work together to get this really worked out.”

President Donald Trump on Friday said he would demand that California overhaul its election laws and reverse environmental policies as a condition of any federal funds to help the state recover from wildfires that have devastated the Los Angeles area in recent weeks.

He also claimed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had mishandled efforts to help North Carolinians recover from Hurricane Helene and suggested that the White House and Republican National Committee would somehow take over the distribution of any relief funds authorized by Congress. Trump took aim at FEMA as he arrived in Asheville, North Carolina, to view hurricane damage, before traveling to California to view the devastation wrought by wildfires.

Speaking to reporters just after he disembarked Air Force One, Trump told reporters that FEMA, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, “has really let us down,” though it was unclear what exactly he was accusing the agency of having done or not done.

“I don’t know if that’s Biden’s fault or whose fault it is, but we’re going to take over and we’re going to do a good job, and we’re going to assign [Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley] who’s fantastic, frankly, and the governor and everybody else that’s going to work,” he said. “We’re going to supply the money, the supply, a lot of the money. Maybe you have to chip in something. You chip in a little something like maybe 25 percent or whatever, but we’re going to get it done as quickly as we can. And we want to take care of the people of North Carolina.”