Los Angeles fire hydrants stop working as firefighters battle historic blazes

Firefighters struggled to operate fire hydrants properly Tuesday as several fires in the Los Angeles area began burning, with hydrants in Pacific Palisades completely drying out early Wednesday, according to fire and water officials who spoke at a news conference Wednesday morning. There are currently three major fires burning in the Los Angeles area, which have destroyed more than 1,000 structures and killed two people, with thousands more evacuated.

“We were trying to conserve water at all elevations in Palisades, and I think at 3 a.m., that’s when the taps ran dry,” Janice Quiñones, CEO of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said at a news conference. Wednesday.

The hydrants get their water from a nearby reservoir, and Los Angeles City Fire Chief Christine Crowley said they didn’t have an exact number of hydrants that eventually ran out of water, but she confirmed it was temporary and “came in stages.”

“Our firefighters always have a preliminary plan, a backup plan, an emergency plan, an emergency plan. A lot of times, just for the public to be aware, in large wildfires, the water supply is typically limited,” Crowley said. “And so, our equipment has that Ability to draw water if we need to get out of pools, ponds or any type of water source. We also benefit from water tenders…”

Frustration over lack of water in taps is nothing new, and has become a point of contention among people who say it is the result of poor management. Rick Caruso, the billionaire real estate developer who ran an unsuccessful campaign for Los Angeles mayor in 2022, told the Los Angeles Times that employees from his nearby property, Palisades Village, reported difficulties with the faucets on Tuesday.

“There is no water in the fire hydrants,” Caruso said. Los Angeles Times. “The firefighters are out there (in the neighborhood), and there’s nothing they can do. We have neighborhoods burning, homes burning, businesses burning.”

Caruso blamed city officials, but did not seem to mention the challenges posed by climate change, which has made Southern California’s current fire crisis much worse.

“The Los Angeles County Fire Department was prepared for one or two major wildfires, but not four, especially with these persistent winds and low humidity,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said Wednesday.

The three fires currently burning in the Los Angeles area include the Eaton Fire near Pasadena at 2,200 acres, the Hearst Fire in the San Fernando Valley at 500 acres, and the Palisades Fire at more than 5,000 acres. Two people died, and the exact number of injuries has not yet been reported, but the number is “large,” according to what Reuters reported. LAist.

the Santa Ana winds This led to the dangerous spread of the fires, with wind gusts reaching 99 miles per hour recorded late Tuesday near Pasadena, according to the New York Times. Tens of thousands of people are currently under mandatory evacuation orders in Southern California, and emergency centers have been set up to deal not only with humans fleeing the flames but also with pets.

CBS correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti A video was shared On the morning of Wednesday the 10th, devastation occurred in the Pacific Palisades area, where many buildings were clearly destroyed.

This is what remains of the Pacific Barriers. The mall survived. Most everything else is gone. Homes, residential complexes… companies. pic.twitter.com/Vfz721V48J

– Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 8, 2025

More than 1,000 buildings were destroyed in the Palisades Fire, including the local public library, which was considered a total loss. Pet supply store Malibu feeding box He posted on Facebook that the company had also been destroyed after 60 years of business.

Some wealthy people seem to be looking for some sort of shortcut around city services that might help them in their time of need, especially since Pacific Palisades is a very wealthy area in general. Keith Wasserman, a technology CEO and real estate investor, fielded a call to X on Tuesday night trying to find a private firefighting force that could save his home.

“Does anyone have access to private firefighters to protect our home in Pacific Palisades? Need to act fast here. Burn all neighbors houses. Will pay any amount. Thank you,” Wasserman wrote in a diffuse tweet.

Wasserman had previously tweeted to complain about the cost of property taxes, the same thing that funds Los Angeles firefighters, and even asked incoming President Donald Trump to cut them for everyone, apparently unaware that property taxes are set at the local level.