What sparked the L.A. fires is different from the underlying causes WSOC TV [Video]

As the wildfires in the Los Angeles area continue to rage for a second week, threatening lives, homes and businesses, government officials and the public have begun debating what caused them.

President-elect Donald Trump was quick to blame Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom, claiming in a social media post that he had “refused to sign the water restoration declaration.”

Newsom responded, “There is no such document as the ‘water restoration declaration.’ That is pure fiction,” and announced a new website to try to counter misinformation about the causes of the fires.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, meanwhile, has begun its own official investigation into the cause of the wildfires.

“There’s a lot of misinformation floating around, and a lot of people want answers — which is understandable. And we will provide those answers,” Ginger Colbrun, an ATF spokeswoman, said over the weekend. “But we have to get additional people here and investigate.”

Immediate cause vs. underlying causes

As is often the …