Trump declares Northern California wildfires a major disaster

President Donald Trump declared the worst of California's nearly two dozen active wildfires a major disaster Saturday, providing funding to victims despite his vocal criticism of state leadership.

The White House announced that federal aid would soon be coming to Californians displaced by the wildfires raging since Aug. 14, many of which were sparked by lightning.

The announcement will free up funding for residents of several of the most-affected California areas, comprising Lake, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo counties. The LNU Lightning Complex Fire, encompassing the Hennessey Fire in Napa County and the Wallbridge Fire in Sonoma County, had burned just over 350,000 acres, killed four, destroyed 871 structures and was 22% contained as of 8:33 a.m. Monday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Federal assistance will be made available for those who require temporary housing, home repairs or need loans for uninsured property damages, or business owners who will need help recovering from the fires. Funding will also be provided to state and local governments in order to provide emergency protective measures and hazard mitigation during the crisis.

There are almost two dozen wildfires raging in California, several of which are among the largest the state has ever seen. Among the most devastating is the LNU Lightning Complex in Lake and Napa counties. It is the state's second largest wildfire ever at 314,207 acres as of Saturday afternoon. Thousands of Californians have been evacuated statewide and hundreds of homes have been destroyed.