Melania Trump breaks silence on 'devastating' California fires

Melania Trump expressed her sympathy for the victims of the California wildfires and said she hoped President Joe Biden's administration was giving people the help they need.

'It's devastating. I'm thinking about those people, and I pray for them,' she told Fox News.

'I just hope that everybody evacuated and that they are safe, and I hope that the government and FEMA is there to help them,' she added. 

Melania Trump sat down with Fox News for an interview that is scheduled to air on Monday but the network released a clip on Friday of her talking about the fires that have killed 10 people and caused millions in damage.

The incoming first lady has been preparing to move into the White House. She's also working on a documentary that will air on Amazon. The internet retailer bought rights to it for $40 million. 

The so-called Palisades Fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on LA's western flank and the Eaton Fire in the east near Pasadena already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history, consuming more than 34,000 acres (13,750 hectares) - or some 53 square miles. 

It has burned at least 10,000 structures and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes. 

At least 180,000 residents are under evacuation orders for all blazes in the county, officials said. 

The Palisades Fire is now 6% controlled, while the Eaton Fire still blazed out of control, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The skies in Los Angeles buzzed with aircraft dropping water and fire retardant on the flaming hill.

A slew of notable locations, including Sunset Boulevard that splits the upscale Pacific Palisades, were engulfed in punishing flames that tore through residential and commercial areas alike and reduced buildings to burnt-out husks.

Banks, restaurants, gas stations and homes were left in smoldering ruins along the iconic boulevard, where bulldozers were forced to remove abandoned luxury motors, forging a path for emergency services and firefighters.

The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage, but private forecaster AccuWeather estimated the economic loss at $135 billion to $150 billion, portending an arduous recovery and soaring homeowners' insurance costs.

'We're already looking ahead to aggressively rebuild the city of Los Angeles,' said Democrat Mayor Karen Bass, who has faced harsh criticism from President-elect Donald Trump, other Republicans and LA business moguls over her handling of the disaster.

President Joe Biden, who declared a major disaster on Tuesday, promised on Thursday that the federal government would reimburse 100% of the recovery for the next 180 days to pay for debris and hazard material removal, temporary shelters and first responder salaries.

'I told the governor, local officials, spare no expense to do what they need to do and contain these fires,' Biden said after meeting with senior advisers at the White House.

Biden said his message to the people of Southern California is: 'We are with you. We´re not going anywhere.'

But with less than two weeks left in his term, it´s a promise he might not hold.

Trump takes over on Jan. 20, and he was at odds with California´s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, over wildfires the first time he was president.

Trump lately has been referring to Newsom by putting a derogatory spin on his last name. He also has blamed Newsom for the fire currently raging in Los Angeles.

But Biden vowed to help the state in his remaining days in charge. 

'We´re sticking with this,' Biden said. 'We expect there may be a temporary break in the winds, but in some areas, the winds are likely to continue well into next week.'

As Biden turned the floor over to Vice President Kamala Harris, he noted she was 'directly affected.' 

Harris is a former California senator, and her home there was in the evacuation zone, but it wasn´t clear if it was damaged. She described the scene as 'apocalyptic.'

'This is something that is going to have an impact for months and years to come,' she said.

Additionally Harris canceled the final foreign trip of her term because of the wildfires, her office announced on Thursday.

Her decision follows a similar one made by President Biden, who was due to travel this week to Rome to visit Pope Francis and meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but instead stayed in Washington.

Harris had planned to visit Singapore, Bahrain and Germany from Jan. 13 to 17.

In all, five wildfires burned in Los Angeles County, with the largest Palisades fire just 6% contained and the Eaton fire 0% contained. Skies buzzed with aircraft dropping retardant and water on the flaming hills.

Officials late on Thursday urged more people to heed evacuation orders after a new blaze ignited and quickly grew.

The fast-moving Kenneth Fire started in the late afternoon in the San Fernando Valley just 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from a school serving as a shelter for fire evacuees and then moved into neighboring Ventura County by the evening.