Newsom Wants to Know Why Fire Hydrants Went Dry
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California ordered an inquiry into a loss of water pressure after it was revealed that a reservoir was offline when the fires started.
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By Rachel Nostrant
Jan. 10, 2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California ordered an inquiry into the county’s water management after reports emerged that a critical reservoir was offline when the fires started and that firefighters were left with sputtering — and then dry — hydrants as they battled blazes ripping through Los Angeles.
At least 11 people have died and more than 13,000 structures have been destroyed in the fires, according to preliminary numbers from state and local officials.
While there is no way to know yet for sure, Mr. Newsom said that the lack of water “likely impaired” efforts to protect homes and evacuation routes.
“We need answers to how that happened,” he said in a letter dated Jan. 10 to the heads of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Los Angeles County Public Works.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Water and Power confirmed on Friday that the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which helps supply water in Pacific Palisades, was offline for scheduled maintenance when the Palisades fire ignited on Tuesday.
The reservoir can hold millions of gallons of water that, if available, could have helped in those first crucial hours fighting the fire.
The Palisades fire has burned more than 5,000 structures, according to Cal Fire, and was at 8 percent contained as of Friday afternoon.
In his request, Mr. Newsom asked the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to review its procedures and share its findings with state water and firefighting officials, who will conduct the investigation.
Requests for comment from the Department of Water and Power and Los Angeles County Public Works were not returned.
Water for Pacific Palisades is fed by a pipeline that flows by gravity from the larger Stone Canyon Reservoir, said Marty Adams, a former general manager and chief engineer at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. That water line also fills the Santa Ynez Reservoir.
Water is pumped into three high-elevation storage tanks, each with a capacity of about one million gallons. Water then flows by gravity into homes and fire hydrants.
Officials said the storage tanks and the pumping systems that feed them could not keep pace with the demand as the fire raced from one neighborhood to another.
Fire hydrants are not designed to supply enough water to fight large or simultaneous wildfires, Mr. Newsom said, but their quick depletion still likely impeded firefighting efforts.
An operational reservoir would have been at least initially helpful to more fully feed the water system in the area, Mr. Adams said....
READ MORE: The New York Times
