Massive wildfires in California "are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren't allowing massive amount of readily available water to be properly utilized," President Donald Trump tweeted late Sunday.
"It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean," he added. "Must also tree clear to stop fire spreading!"
The wildfires have claimed nine victims and continue to grow across northern California, including the Carr fire burning about 162 miles north of Sacramento and two other fires collectively called the Mendocino Complex burning about 90 miles north of San Francisco. As of late Saturday, those fires covered 229,000 acres, according to Reuters.
This year, California wildfires have burned more land earlier in the "fire season" than usual, said Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director, during a news conference Saturday.
"Fire season is really just beginning. What seems like we should be in the peak of fire season, historically, is really now the kind of conditions we're seeing really at the beginning," said Pimlott.
Trump on Sunday morning announced that a major disaster exists in California, paving the way for federal money and aid.
"Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property loses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster," the White House said.
Per the New York Post, Trump’s claims come from a 2015 proposal floated by the Tree People, an environmental nonprofit, that Californians should capture rainwater draining from roofs and streets instead of allowing it to continue into the ocean.