As wildfires ravaged Los Angeles, firefighters in Pacific Palisades faced a significant challenge: many hydrants had little or no water pressure, slowing efforts to control the flames.
Fire crews reported that the hydrants were “down,” and water flow was barely present. By 3 a.m. on Wednesday, the water storage tanks in the area had run dry, leaving firefighters unable to use hydrants at higher elevations.
Janisse Quiñones, chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), explained that the water system couldn’t handle the surge in demand. “We saw four times the usual usage for 15 hours straight, which caused a severe drop in water pressure,” she said.
Growing Criticism from Residents and Officials
The hydrant failure sparked anger among locals and city officials. Rick Caruso, a developer who owns the Palisades Village shopping center, called the situation unacceptable. “The firefighters were there, but they couldn’t act because the hydrants had no water,” he said during interviews with local news outlets. Several homes and businesses near his shopping center were destroyed.
Councilmember Traci Park, who represents Pacific Palisades, also condemned the city’s infrastructure. “This is a clear example of how neglecting public infrastructure can lead to disasters,” she said in a news conference with LADWP officials.
A Strained Water System
Pacific Palisades relies on three large water tanks, each holding about one million gallons. However, these tanks emptied between Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday morning as crews battled the blaze. Quiñones explained that high demand for water at lower elevations prevented the tanks from refilling quickly enough to maintain pressure for firefighting efforts in the hills.
In addition, LADWP crews faced obstacles accessing pump stations that move water uphill due to the fire. As a temporary solution, the utility sent water tankers to support the firefighting effort, though refilling the tankers from distant locations further delayed the process.
Long-Standing Infrastructure Problems
The incident highlights ongoing issues with the city’s infrastructure. A similar problem occurred in Ventura County during a recent fire when inactive pumps slowed water delivery. Caruso pointed to the aging infrastructure as a major problem for Los Angeles. “This disaster exposes the city’s deeper management and infrastructure issues that need urgent attention,” he said.
As of Wednesday, thousands of residents remained displaced. Many homes and businesses in Pacific Palisades were reduced to rubble. Caruso’s daughter’s home was one of those lost in the flames, and his shopping center suffered damage.
City officials have promised to investigate the failures and improve the infrastructure to prevent future crises.
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