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- By Native News Online Staff
Fox News host Jesse Watters connected dam removals requested by Native American tribes to California's wildfire crisis, saying Governor Gavin Newsom removed four dams “because the Native Americans told him to do it.”
During the January 8 broadcast of “The Five,” Watters criticized California's fire response, noting that crews “have contained 0% of this fire.” He then pointed to dam removals, saying Newsom “tore more dams down — four — than anybody in the history of this country. Because the Native Americans told him to do it, because it would save some salmon. Now look at this.”
The fires have killed 16 people and destroyed over 12,000 structures.
The dam removals Watters referenced are part of a long-planned restoration of the Klamath River ecosystem, supported by tribal nations, environmental groups, state officials and federal officials. These dams are located hundreds of miles north of the current fire zone.
Meanwhile, Native American firefighters from outside the region are on the ground in Southern California joining the effort to combat the blazes. According to a report in ICT (formerly Indian Country Today), the Klamath Tribes of Oregon sent a Type 3 fire engine and crew to the Eaton Fire, while twenty-three members of the elite Navajo Scouts firefighting team departed from Window Rock, Arizona on Wednesday to assist with containment efforts. "I ask that we, as a united Navajo people, keep our Navajo Scouts in our thoughts and prayers," Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said in an Instagram post cited in the ICT story.
The Pechanga Tribe in Southern California announced a contribution of $500,000 to assist Los Angeles fire victims impacted by the Palisades and Eaton Fires. In addition to the monetary contribution, the Pechanga Fire Department has had personnel, equipment and resources deployed to the fires and their logistical command centers since Tuesday, Jan. 7, according to a statement from the tribe.
The Palisades Fire, the largest of several blazes, has burned through 37,000 acres and remains only 11% contained. More than 153,000 residents have evacuated as flames threatened communities in Brentwood and Encino. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna reported 13 people remain missing, though officials have not confirmed if these disappearances are connected to the fires.
Governor Newsom has ordered an investigation into reports of water pressure loss at fire hydrants and problems accessing the Santa Ynez Reservoir — issues unrelated to dam removals in other parts of the state.
Watters' comments echo similar claims made by President-elect Donald Trump, who posted on Truth Social that Newsom "refused to sign the water restoration declaration" that would have allowed water to flow from Northern to Southern California.
Newsom dismissed Trump's claims in an NBC News "Meet the Press" interview, calling them "inexcusable because it's inaccurate" and "incomprehensible to anyone that understands water policy in the state."
Los Angeles County has declared a public health emergency due to smoke and air quality concerns. Health officials warned that particulate matter from the fires poses both immediate and long-term risks to residents.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with information about Native firefighters.
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