Los Angeles officials said some fire hydrants in Pacific Palisades ran dry overnight Tuesday due to “extreme demand” and low water pressure.
Palisades FireThe blaze, which was first reported at 10:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, has grown to more than 15,800 acres with zero containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. cal fireflame burn Through at least 1,000 buildings by Wednesday.
Janice Quinones, chief executive and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Said A Wednesday press conference reported that all three 1-million-gallon water tanks in the area were dry by 3 a.m., causing a loss of water pressure for fire hydrants at higher elevations.
“There was tremendous demand for our system in Palisades. We pushed the system to the limit,” Quinones said. “We saw four times the normal demand for 15 consecutive hours, causing our water pressure to drop.”
Quinones said the tanks, which supply pressure to hydrants in the Hill Palisades, could not refill fast enough because firefighting efforts drained the water faster than the main trunk line.
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LADWP and city leaders faced criticism from some residents, who blamed the planning and city infrastructure for failure to support firefighting efforts. Some people also claimed on social media that officials had refused or failed to fill the tanks.
However, Captain Eric Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department Said LADWP proactively filled all available water storage tanks prior to the fire. He said tanks had to be filled slowly due to “extreme demand”, affecting supplies to some hydrants.
Scott admitted to CBS News in an interview on Wednesday Cruz said “we faced some challenges with water pressure while battling the Pacific Palisades fire, especially yesterday. We worked really closely with the Department of Water and Power, and they actively used all available water storage. Filled the tanks. But the problem is, the availability of water at higher altitudes was affected, the pressure was not as much as we needed, and hence it affected some of the fire hydrants.”
“We're probably using four times the normal amount of water because we're having to use so many hose lines to put out the fire,” he said.
Mark Pestrella, LA County Public Works Director, Said Municipal water systems that serve homes and businesses “were not designed to fight wildfires.”
“Firefighting with multiple fire hydrants pulling water from the system for multiple hours is not sustainable,” he said.
Pestrella said strong winds and thick smoke early Wednesday worsened the crisis, forcing the grounding of firefighting aircraft, a vital resource for battling fast-spreading wildfires.
Pestrella asked residents to conserve water.
“I would request you to turn off your water and turn off your gas before leaving the residence so that we can continue to supply water to the hydrant system,” he said.