Joe Biden US President Joe Biden canceled his scheduled trip to Italy to focus on taking measures against wildfires.
Image: Mandel Ngan / AFP
US President Joe Biden on Thursday canceled his scheduled trip to Italy to focus on taking measures against wildfires that have been sweeping across California since earlier in the week, White House Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said.
"After returning this evening from Los Angeles, where earlier today he had met with police, fire, and emergency personnel fighting the historic fires raging in the area and approved a Major Disaster declaration for California, President Biden made the decision to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy to remain focused on directing the full federal response in the days ahead. Additional details to follow," Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
The visit to Italy scheduled for January 9 to 12, was announced on December 20 and was expected to become Biden's last foreign trip in the role of the US president. During the trip, he was set to meet President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Pope Francis.
The Palisades fire in Los Angeles was first reported Tuesday and has spread to over 15,000 acres, forestry and fire protection officials said.
The Eaton fire started Tuesday night, also prompting evacuation orders. It claimed five lives. The fire burned more than 10,000 acres as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Hurst fire broke out in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles late Tuesday night. The Woodley fire reportedly erupted Wednesday morning.
The AccuWeather media company said its preliminary estimate of the damage and economic loss from the wildfires in California is $52-$57 billion (around R982 billion and R1.07 trillion).
Sputnik