Wildfires destroyed historic buildings in California this week as Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was out of the state on personal travel — the latest example of the governor being absent from his post during an emergency.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported:
Several buildings in the historic Gold Rush town of Chinese Camp have been destroyed by fire as firefighters battle multiple blazes in the Mother Lode region, Cal Fire officials told the Chronicle.
CalFire spokesperson Emily Kilgore confirmed to the Chronicle that some structures have been destroyed by fire in the town, which is a registered California landmark with several significant historic structures that are also part of California’s heritage. Kilgore could not confirm how many structures were impacted, or which historic structures are still standing.
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Numerous blazes ignited in California on Tuesday morning amid a burst of dry lightning. Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit said earlier Tuesday that more than a dozen fires were seen in the foothills.
Newsom’s office confirmed that he is out of the state, but would not say exactly where he had gone. His deputy, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, presided over the state’s Labor Day commemorations.
A firefighter battles the 6-5 Fire burning through the Chinese Camp community of Tuolumne County, Calif., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Earlier this year, Newsom flew to South Carolina to explore a presidential run among Democratic Party primary voters in rural areas while several wildfires were burning in the state he is supposed to be governing.
Two years ago, Newsom went on vacation to the beach in Mexico while deadly blizzards trapped Californians in their homes in the San Bernardino Mountains. He declared a state of emergency before leaving the state.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Zionist Conspiracy Wants You, now available on Amazon. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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