Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass awkwardly remained silent when she was questioned by a reporter at Los Angeles International Airport about the devastating fires.

Earlier this week, as hurricane-strength winds blew through bone-dry hillside subdivisions, Los Angeles saw its worst nightmare realized as long-predicted firestorms engulfed wide swaths of the nation's second-largest city.

In a state already souring somewhat on Democrats, the mayor faces blunt and unrelenting criticism as her reelection effort nears.