Donald Trump has been slammed for blaming "gross mismanagement of the forests" for the Californian wildfires which are currently raging in parts of the state.
His tweet received backlash from top firefighters’ associations, politicians and celebrities.
“There is no reason for there massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor,” Trump said in his tweet.
"Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of a gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!”
He was accused by a number of firefighters’ organisations of playing politics with the devastating disaster.
"His comments are reckless and insulting to the firefighters and people being affected," said Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
The president of the Californian Professional Firefighters told CNN the message was an attack on the firefighters fighting the blaze.
"The President's message attacking California and threatening to withhold aid to the victims of the cataclysmic fires is ill-informed, ill-timed and demeaning to those who are suffering as well as the men and women on the front lines," Brian K. Rice said.
Celebrities also commented on Donald Trump's response.
Singer Katy Perry tweeted that his response was ‘absolutely heartless’.
“This is an absolutely heartless response. There aren’t even politics involved. Just good American families losing their homes as you tweet, evacuating into shelters.”
Trump also paid tribute to those that had been affected by the fire.
"More than 4,000 are fighting the Camp and Woolsey Fires in California that have burned over 170,000 acres," Trump tweeted. "Our hearts are with those fighting the fires ... The destruction is catastrophic. God Bless them all."
The death toll from the outbreak of fires is at 25, with that number likely to climb.
The victims have not yet been identified and there are 110 people believed to be missing.
This death toll has made the fires the third-deadliest on record in the state.
Steve Kaufmann a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the blaze has now logged 425 square kilometres and has cost at least $US8.1 million to fight so far, according to Associated Press.
More than 6700 buildings have been destroyed, almost all of them homes.
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