They were among the most costly wildfires in United States history, ravaging the densely populated metropolis of Los Angeles in southern California.But almost a year after they were contained, the Eaton and Palisades fires are back in the headlines, as the administration of President Donald Trump seeks to wrest control of the rebuilding effort.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listOn Wednesday, at a speech in Washington, DC, Trump indicated he would appoint Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to take over the permitting process for home construction.“I haven’t told this to Lee Zeldin yet, but I’m going to put you in charge of getting permits. I think we’re going to override the local authorities,” Trump told the EPA chief from the stage.But that push has reignited tensions with state and local Democrats in California, who accuse Trump of seeking to shift attention away from the lack of federal aid for recovery efforts.The southern California fires were the first major natural disaster to confront Trump’s second term. Erupting in early January 2025, they tore through more than 38,000 acres (15,378 hectares), whipped by the dry, gusting Santa Ana winds.At least 16,000 buildings were destroyed. The official death toll placed the number of people killed at around 31, but academics at the University of Helsinki put the number of indirect deaths closer to 440, with peopl …
