Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles sought to deflect criticism of the city’s response to a series of uncontrolled wildfires during a news conference on Thursday in which she faced pointed questions about the city’s preparedness — and her own — ahead of what has become one of the biggest natural disasters in the state’s history. Ms. Bass dismissed a question about her leadership, saying that she was currently focused only on saving lives, and said any evaluation of mistakes or failures by “any body, department, individual” would come later. Ms. Bass was not in the city at the time; she had traveled to Ghana for the inauguration of that country’s new president and did not return to Los Angeles until Wednesday afternoon. The first question she faced on Thursday morning noted her absence, even as the city was issuing a news release warning about the fire’s potential. But later, she offered a glimpse into her own unease with the challenges firefighters have faced.

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Persons: Karen Bass, —, . Bass, Bass, Ms, “, ” Organizations: Los Locations: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Ghana