By Chelsea Bailey

(CNN) — As the most destructive fire in Los Angeles area history rages, Mayor Karen Bass faces criticism over the timing of an overseas trip and budget cuts made months ago that affected the city’s fire department.

For a second consecutive day, L.A. residents awoke to an inferno that has claimed at least five lives and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. Firefighters and first responders are struggling to contain five fast-moving wildfires that have scorched over 25,000 acres and destroyed nearly 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures.

The Palisades Fire erupted around 10:30 a.m. PT on January 7, while Bass was in Ghana attending the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama as part of a US presidential delegation. The trip, announced by the White House earlier this month, coincided with the fire’s rapid expansion, fueled by intense winds that temporarily prevented aerial firefighting efforts.

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles had issued numerous warnings about dangerous weather conditions, including destructive windstorms, in the days leading up to the fire, said Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist with the agency.

“This is an event that had exceptionally long lead times, not only of the powerful windstorm that we anticipated but also the potential for a particularly dangerous situation, red flag warning, fire weather conditions,” Cohen said.

Rick Caruso, a real estate developer and former mayoral candidate, criticized Bass for her absence, saying, “This is an absolute mismanagement by the city and I’m going to be very honest, we’ve got a mayor that’s out of the country and we’ve got a city that’s burning.”

“This was a disaster waiting to happen and what’s predictable is preventable and who’s paying the price is all these people and their homes tonight,” Caruso told Fox 11.

On Thursday, Bass emphasized the “unprecedented” nature of the fires and defended her leadership during the crisis. She insisted her “number one focus” is protecting lives and saving homes.

“Rest assured when that is done, when we are safe, when lives have been saved and homes have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, and what didn’t work, and to correct – or to hold accountable – anybody, department, individual, etcetera,” Bass said.

“But my focus right now is on the lives and the homes.”

Bass in ‘constant contact’ with teams

It is unclear when Bass was informed about the fires and decided to return to California.

But on her return Wednesday, Bass was confronted at the airport by a Sky News reporter, who asked if she owed Angelenos an apology for her absence during the fires.

A stone-faced Bass refused to answer as the reporter followed her down the gangway.

Bass had left Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson as mayor pro tempore in her absence.

At a news conference Wednesday morning, Harris-Dawson acknowledged the work of the first responders doing “heroic work in the face of grave danger.”

“Last night was one of the most devastating and terrifying nights that we’ve seen in any part of our city, at any part of our history,” he said.

On Wednesday night, Bass told reporters she had been in “constant contact” with local, federal, and county officials marshaling the response to the fires as she made her way back to the United States.

“I took the fastest route back which included being on a military plane which facilitated our communications. So, I was able to be on the phone the entire time of the flight,” Bass said, adding she also had phone access during her commercial flight “like most people do.”

“I was on the phone on the plane almost every hour of the flight. So, although I was not physically here, I was in contact with many of the individuals that are standing here throughout the entire time when my flight landed, immediately went to the fire zone and saw what happened in Pacific Palisades.”

CNN reached out to her office asking if they considered delaying her trip to Ghana due to the weather conditions.

LAFD budget cuts

Bass has sought to assure residents that cuts to the fire department’s annual budget have not impacted the city’s current ability to address the fires.

In June, Bass approved a budget of nearly $13 billion that included a $17 million reduction in the LAFD’s more than $800 million budget for 2025. L.A. Fire Chief Kristen Crowley noted in a December report the funding deficit has affected the department’s “ability to maintain core operations,” including training and response to large-scale emergencies.

The report also highlighted that the department had been unable to perform required brush clearance inspections to mitigate fire risks, and residential inspections for fire safety compliance were reduced.

“Ultimately, loss of funding impairs the Department’s ability to mitigate wildland fires and other hazards effectively,” the report stated.

At a news conference Thursday morning, Bass insisted that the budget cuts have not hindered the LAFD’s ability to fight the wildfires. “I think if you go back and look at the reductions that have been made, there were no reductions that would have impacted the situation we were dealing with over the last couple of days,” she said.

“It’s important to understand that we were in tough budgetary times. Everybody knew that, but the impact of our budget really did not affect what we’ve been going through over the last few days.”

California Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman, whose district includes the Pacific Palisades, said on CNN Thursday the budget cuts “relate to money that’s going to be spent in 2025 and were chiefly for training.”

“These cuts, I think, will be reversed, and should be, and they were perhaps ill-advised,” he said. “But they’re not a reason why the Palisades have suffered – this was money to train people in 2025.”

Now that Bass has returned to California, she said her focus will remain on coordinating the response to the fires and preserving life and property. “We will begin the process of rebuilding. We will have critical resources available to ensure the residents of our communities are not fighting these battles alone,” she said.

“Make no mistake, this board and this county will continue to do everything in our power to ensure the safety of our residents as we look forward to the path of recovery.”

CNN’s Chris Boyette contributed to this report.

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