Gov. Brown: Trump has 'got our back' after California wildfires

John Bacon | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump sees Calif. wildfire devastation up close President Donald Trump says he traveled to the heart of California's killer wildfire to fully grasp the scale of the devastation wrought on the landscape (Nov. 17)

President Donald Trump, who previously had threatened to cut federal funding to California, promised "substantial" funds in the wake of the horrific fires that have swept the state, Gov. Jerry Brown said Sunday.

Brown, speaking on CBS' Face the Nation, called Trump's pledge a "big, big win" for his state.

"The president not only has signed a presidential declaration giving California substantial funding, but he said and pledged very specifically to continue to help us," Brown said, "that he's got our back. And I thought that was a very positive thing."

Brown spoke a day after Trump visited the burned-out remains of Paradise, until recently a city of 27,000 that was essentially destroyed when a wildfire roared through two weeks ago. The Camp Fire has killed 77 people — the death toll increased by only one on Sunday night — and destroyed more 10,300 homes in the area.

The fire, which has burned 234 square miles, or 150,000 acres, was 65 percent as of 7 p.m. PST Sunday, Cal Fire reported. More than 1,000 people have been reported missing.

"Firefighters made good progress throughout the day to strengthen and improve containment lines," Cal Fire said. "Crews have continued to work in steep and rugged terrain to implement direct and indirect control lines which will aid in stopping the fire's forward progress."

Full containment is expected by Nov. 30.

Brown, a Democrat frequently at odds with the president, acknowledged Sunday that there has been some contentious "back and forth" between Trump and California leaders in the past.

"But in this, in the face of tragedy, people tend to rise above some of their lesser propensities," Brown said. "So I think we're on a good path."

Days after the Camp Fire began burning, Trump tweeted a threat to withhold federal payments to California, accusing the state of "poor" forest management.

"There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly fires in California," Trump tweeted. "Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!”

More: 'This is very sad to see': Trump surveys California wildfire devastation

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Brown said Sunday that long-term forest health will require reducing carbon emissions. He said he did not press Trump on the argument that climate change is a crucial factor in the rise in more deadly and destructive fires the state has been combating in recent years.

"You can mull the science, but I'll tell you every year it's going to get clearer and clearer," Brown said. "I think in less than five years even the worst skeptics are going to be believers."

He said the Camp Fire was moving at 100 yards a second, trapping residents with no chance to flee.

"If you're going to live this close to the forest, if the climate is going to keep changing, you're going to have to build some kind of underground shelters," Brown said. "So that you can go in and protect yourself."