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'Very sad to see': Trump visits Paradise lost by California fire

Authorities confirmed a new death toll of 71 and said they are trying to locate 1,011 people even as they stressed that not all are believed missing.

Against a smoky, hazy backdrop, President Donald Trump on Saturday visited the burned-out retirement community of Paradise, which was hardest hit by Camp Fire, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century that has left at least 71 people dead.

Trump, wearing a windbreaker and a black cap emblazoned with "USA," surveyed a scene of burned out cars and the remains of houses.

At one point, the presidential motorcade pulled into an mobile home and RV park, stopping in front of an American flag hanging from what was left of a burned structure.

“Right now we want to take care of the people who have been so badly hurt,” the president said.

Trump added, “This is very sad to see. As far as the lives are concerned, nobody knows quite yet.”

Under questioning by reporters, he returned to his week-long theme that forest management was to blame for the wildfires. He earlier had threatened to withhold federal funds because of what he deemed as mismanagement by the state.

"Other countries do it differently, it's a whole different story," he said, citing purported comments from the president of Finland on how they deal with their forests. He said they engage in "raking and cleaning things and they don't have any problem."

Gesturing at the rubble and destruction, Trump, who was flanked by Gov. Jerry Brown and Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, said state and federal partners would "get this cleaned up " and "take care of the floors of the forest."

"I think hopefully this will be the last of these, this was a really, really bad one," he said.

Brown told reporters that state and local teams, backed by federal financial help, were focused on cleanup and search for more possible victims. "What needs to be done is being done,” he said, adding,"it is just a big, massive cleanup after a terrible tragedy."

Under a sun largely blocked by a smoky haze, Trump touched down on Saturday afternoon at Beale Air Force Base, about 36 miles south of the devastating Camp Fire that has destroyed 148,000 structures and remains only 55 percent contained. Fire officials do not expect to bring the blaze under control until Nov. 30.

He was met by Brown and Newsom, both Democrats, who joined him aboard Marine One to travel to the hardest-hit area. They said earlier they welcomed the visit, saying it's time “to pull together for the people of California.”

The presidential group then flew north to to Chico, site of the firefighters' command center about 10 miles west of the devastated town of Paradise.

Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A hearse stands by to pick up human remains found at a home destroyed by the Camp Fire on November 16, 2018 in Paradise, California.

As the presidential motorcade departed, hundreds of people lined the streets to see it go by, about half wearing masks and most capturing the event on their phone.

Some had American flags, A few had Trump signs. One group of silent protesters held two banners that mentioned “climate change” and the “apocalypse.”

Trump also was expected to stop in Southern California, where a gunman killed a dozen people at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks on Nov. 7 before committing suicide.

Major disaster and emergency declarations signed by Trump will cover up to 75 percent of the state's costs for removing debris, providing transitional housing and more, according to the White House.

A public health emergency declared by the Department of Health and Human Services will let Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and their health-care providers meet their immediate health needs, officials said.

In an interview taped Friday and scheduled for broadcast on “Fox News Sunday,” Trump said he was surprised to see images of firefighters removing dried brush near a fire, adding, “This should have been all raked out.”

Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Tents are seen pitched in a field next to a Walmart parking lot where Camp Fire evacuees have been staying on November 16, 2018 in Chico, California.

Asked if he thought climate change contributed to the fires, he said: “Maybe it contributes a little bit. The big problem we have is management.”

California Professional Firefighters President Brian K. Rice, who has called the president's tweet "ill-informed, ill-timed and demeaning" to victims and firefighters, said Trump's visit with the victims is welcome.

Butte County, which voted for Trump by 4 points over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race, has been ground zero for the devastating fire.

The Camp Fire swept through the county, destroying Paradise, a retirement town with a population of 27,000, and heavily damaged the outlying communities of Magalia and Concow. It destroyed more than 9,800 homes and at its height drove out 52,000 people.

Authorities say they are still trying to locate 1,011 people unaccounted for after the fire swept through the area. Officials emphasize that not all the people listed are believed missing and may simply have not checked amid the chaos.

Contributing: Mike Chapman, Jim Schultz and Michele Chandler, Redding Record Searchlight

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