Democratic VP candidate Kamala Harris cites climate change in visit to Creek Fire region
Sen. Kamala Harris — the Democratic vice presidential nominee — met with emergency service personnel and assessed the California wildfires during a whirlwind visit Tuesday to the Fresno area.
Harris spent about five hours in the area, zipping out to see Creek Fire damage, then back to a Fresno evacuation center and a quick stop at a local fire station before flying out of Fresno Yosemite International Airport.
Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom, a longtime political ally, stopped at Pine Ridge Elementary School in the eastern Fresno County foothill community of Auberry about 12:45 p.m. There in the scar of the 11-day-old Creek Fire — which had grown to become California’s 12th-largest wildfire by Tuesday morning — Harris and Newsom received a briefing from Cal Fire officials and addressed the crisis. They were joined by Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig.
Five of the top 20 all-time largest California fires have burned this year, a state official said Tuesday.
Standing in front of a burned and melted playground at Pine Ridge Elementary, Harris spoke about how climate, health, the economy and race were all connected. She said it’s not a partisan issue.
“When we’re talking about the climate crisis, we are talking about a public health crisis,” she said.
Harris compared the chimneys that remained standing in a nearby burned pile of rubble that used to be a home to a tombstone.
Ash fell from the sky during the meeting.
“Sadly, these wildfires and the devastation they cause are utterly predictable,” Harris said. “Especially in residential areas.”
She added, “We have to understand that California, like so many other parts of our country, has experienced extreme weather conditions.
“It is incumbent on us, in terms of the leadership of our nation, to take seriously these new changes in our climate, and to do what we can to mitigate against the damage.”
Harris praised firefighters who are out battling flames while their own homes are burning. “They are working around the clock without rest. I just heard about how they have been working 90-hour shifts, some of them, to save families, to save property.”
She was joined at the school by Newsom, who made clear he supported her and the Biden campaign.
Local leader calls for forest cleanup
Magsig, whose vast district includes the area burned by the Creek Fire, said he shared with the governor and Harris that California needs to push for better policies that can help clean up the forest to prevent similar destructive wildfires.
Magsig said the focus should be on thinning and actively managing the forest floors.
“When you have too many trees on the forest floor, as well as together, the fires burn quicker,” Magsig said. “This is a life-changing event, this is something that will take decades for Fresno County to climb out of.”
The supervisor said has driven through burn areas often since the Creek Fire erupted and has communicated with about 1,000 residents who have lost their homes. Magsig said he promised them the county will help them rebuild as well as get them immediate assistance.
He said he thanked Newsom and Harris for choosing to visit the region. Magsig was given several minutes to speak to Harris and Newsom along with Cal Fire representatives.
He said Harris and Newsom listened and appeared receptive to his message about forest management.
Harris stops at evacuation center
En route back to the airport, Harris visited the Creek Fire evacuation center set up at the Clovis North Educational Center in northeast Fresno.
State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, joined Harris and Newsom at Clovis North.
They heard from Red Cross volunteers, including Mary Bastos, a Venezuelan immigrant who works with Spanish-speaking evacuees. Bastos said the volunteer work is a way for her to give back and she helps families with all sorts of needs, including things such as relocating pets.
She told Harris and Newsom she begins her days at 6 a.m. by feeding her own family. She arrives to the shelter around 8 a.m. and sometimes leaves as late as 9 p.m.
Trump supporters greet convoy
A group of about 30 Trump supporters gathered at the roundabout in Prather shortly before noon as Harris’ convoy passed on Highway 168 headed toward Pine Ridge.
More Trump supporters lined the road in front of Clovis North, but Harris was met with cheers of “We love you Kamala” when she exited her vehicle.
Harris was last in Fresno in October 2016 when the then-state attorney general visited Fresno State and announced that Fresno would be the inaugural location for a cyber crime center.
Bee Staff Writer Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado and pool reports contributed to this story.
