MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough didn’t hold back when discussing the devastating wildfires that turned parts of Los Angeles into what he called a “hellscape.”

During his show, Scarborough criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration for what he labeled a “complete failure of government” in protecting residents and their homes from the ongoing natural disaster, as reported by The Independent Journal Review.

The wildfires destroyed thousands of homes, claimed at least ten lives, and forced over 100,000 residents to evacuate.

Structures continue to burn on Jan. 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood after a wildfire broke out in Los Angeles County on Jan. 7. The fires destroyed more than 1,000 homes, businesses and other structures, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a briefing Wednesday.

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Scarborough pointed out glaring deficiencies in the state’s infrastructure, including dry fire hydrants and poor preparation.

“Happy Friday, if we can even say that with just the hellscape that is Los Angeles,” he said. “We don’t know the exact causes for the complete failure of government to be able to protect these homes. I don’t think we can say it’s the smelt alone.”

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The MSNBC host compared the current situation in Los Angeles to Hurricane Katrina, where insufficient investment in critical infrastructure led to catastrophic failures. Scarborough argued that California’s problems stem from decades of neglect.

“This has been a trend for 30 years,” he said. “Infrastructure has been slashed across America, and you do have climate change, so you have wildfires sweeping into urban areas. They’re kind of like fighting the last war.”

Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire in a home along the Pacific Coast Highway in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 8, 2025. A wildfire broke out in Los Angeles County on Jan. 7, which has destroyed more than 1,000 homes, businesses and other structures, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a briefing Wednesday.

An analysis by OpenTheBooks, a government transparency organization, revealed that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) failed to allocate sufficient funds for fire hydrants, despite collecting hefty taxpayer dollars.

Fire hydrants in several affected neighborhoods ran dry, leaving fire crews unable to combat the inferno effectively.

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Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley prioritized an internal “racial equity plan” and other diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives over essential disaster preparedness.

A house on top of a hill along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu was fully engulfed in flames from the Palisades Fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. The fire erupted a day earlier amid fierce Santa Ana winds.

Adding insult to injury, Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was criticized for being absent during the crisis. As fires raged across Los Angeles, Bass traveled to Ghana to attend the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.

Sky News reporter David Blevins confronted Bass about her absence, asking if she owed an apology to her constituents.

Residents in Pacific Palisades, Eaton Canyon, and other neighborhoods described chaotic evacuations and the devastation they faced upon returning to their neighborhoods. One evacuee told the Daily Caller News Foundation that they received no warning before being forced to flee their home, only to return and find it reduced to ashes.

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Scarborough’s scathing remarks highlight a grim reality: California’s leadership has failed to prioritize the safety of its citizens, allowing bureaucratic red tape and misplaced priorities to pave the way for disaster.

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