Trump blames 'explosive' trees for California's record-breaking wildfires

Donald Trump appeared to blame "explosive" trees and poor forest management for the wildfires sweeping across America's west coast on Monday as he bowed to pressure to visit the affected areas.

The US president faced criticism from Democrats for remaining largely silent on the largest wildfires in California's history and blaming poor forest management, rather than climate change, for the blazes that have killed at least 35 people.

"When trees fall down, after a short period of time about 18 months, they become very dry. They become really like a matchstick and there's no more water flowing through and they just explode. They can explode," Mr Trump said as he landed in McClellan Park, Sacramento.

Asked about the impact of climate change on the situation, Mr Trump said "I think a lot of things are possible", but went on to say: "You go to other countries and they don't have this problem, but they have more explosive trees, meaning they catch fire much easier. So we have to talk about that”.

Joe Biden, Mr Trump's Democratic opponent, launched a scathing attack over Mr Trump's response to the blazes during a speech Monday, warning that the country's "hellish" wildfires would become more deadly if Mr Trump was handed a second term and branding the president a "climate arsonist".

"If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze?" he said in a speech in Wilmington, Delaware. "If you give a climate denier four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised when more of America is underwater?"

The blazes across California, Oregon and Washington have consumed at least four million acres of land, destroying thousands of homes and giving the cities of Seattle, San Francisco and Portland some of the worst air quality in the world.

Mr Trump largely avoided discussing the fires, all in Democrat-controlled states, for several weeks, with the White House insisting on Friday that a presidential visit to the affected areas "would not be wise" and could direct essential resources away from the blazes, before an about-turn over the weekend.

Mr Trump broke his silence over the issue on Friday, thanking the 28,000 emergency responders battling to control the blazes.

Mr Trump has continued to blame poor forest management for causing the fires and refusing to say whether climate change posed a problem in California when questioned by reporters during his trip.

California's elected officials have hit back at Mr Trump's claim that the wildfires, the largest in the state's history, were caused by poor forest management.

"He's going to come out here and probably tell us, 'I'm going to send you rakes, instead of more help.' We need actual help, material help, not based on our party affiliation or how we voted," Eric Garcetti, the Democratic Los Angeles Mayor, told CNN.

"This is not about just forest management or raking - anybody who lives here in California is insulted by that, quite frankly. And he keeps perpetuating this lie."