The water system in Los Angeles struggled to keep up with the demand during the devastating Palisades fire, leading to dry hydrants and hindering firefighting efforts. Officials urged residents to conserve water and criticized the water management policies of Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass.
Brittany Peterson and Michael Phillis The water system used to fight the Palisades fire in Los Angeles buckled under the demands of what turned out to be the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. Some hydrants ran dry, hindering the fight against the flames, local water officials said Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was pumping more water from aqueducts and groundwater into the system, but demand was so high, that wasn't enough to refill three one-million gallon tanks in hilly Pacific Palisades that help pressurize hydrants for the neighborhood. Many went dry and at least 1,000 buildings were engulfed in flames.In a forceful press conference, officials implored residents to conserve water and not attempt to fight fire with garden hoses. 'I would ask that you turn off your water and turn off your gas, both things before you leave the residence so that we can continue to have that water supply for the hydrant system,' said Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. That prompted a swirl of criticism on social media against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom's water management policies. 'You got thousands of homes destroyed, families destroyed, businesses destroyed. I think you can figure out a way to get more water in the hydrants. I don't think there's room for excuses here,' said Rick Caruso, a real estate developer and former commissioner with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, who came in second in the last Los Angeles mayors race.President-elect Trump seized on the moment to blame Newsom for the dry fire hydrants. In a post on his Truth Social media network Wednesday, he renewed criticisms of the state's approach to balancing the distribution of water to farms and cities with the need to protect endangered species including the Delta smelt. Trump has sided with farmers over environmentalists in a long-running dispute over California's scarce water resource
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES WATER MANAGEMENT LOS ANGELES FIRE GAVIN NEWSOM KAREN BASS
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