Firefighters fighting the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles have reported that some fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood are running out of water, sparking concerns about the region's water supply as wildfires rage.
Why it Matters
The Palisades Fire, which erupted on Tuesday, rapidly ballooned in size to cover more than 2,900 acres. As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire was 0 percent contained.
Two new blazes—the Eaton Fire near Altadena and the Hurst Fire in Sylmar—also erupted late Tuesday. By Wednesday, a fourth, the Woodley Fire, had ignited in Los Angeles County.
Thousands of people have evacuated the blazes, and 386,000 people are without power. A state of emergency has been declared. Many schools have closed.
What to Know
The Los Angeles Times reported that firefighters expressed concerns over internal radio systems on Wednesday that fire hydrants in Pacific Palisades were running dry.
Rick Caruso, a local developer, former DPW commissioner and 2022 mayoral candidate, told the Los Angeles Times that he thought the issue stemmed from failing infrastructure and mismanagement.
In February 2024, CBS 8 reported that billions of gallons of water had been released from local reservoirs over the prior year out of an effort to keep water levels low should dams fail and inundate surrounding areas.
At the time, California's Division of Safety of Dams with the Department of Water Resources (DWR) had water level restrictions in place at five reservoirs in San Diego County.
California often battles water issues at its reservoirs, as drought and high demand deplete levels. The state water problem faces more challenges as officials try to maintain smooth dam operation by keeping water at a certain level.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson from the DPW referred Newsweek to a webpage about water supply. In this instance, extreme water demand meant that the tanks at high elevations in the Palisades area outpaced supply.
Although the regular release of water from some reservoirs is cause for concern and often a topic of conversation when it comes to the discussion about California's water storage, one water expert doesn't believe that to be the source of the dry hydrants.
Center for Watershed Sciences Vice Director and University of California-Davis professor emeritus Jay Lund told Newsweek it's more likely that wildfires have grown more extensive and demand more water than in years past.
What People Are Saying
Lund told Newsweek: "I would be very surprised if the fire hydrants are seeing reduced flows because of releases from the major water supply dams.
"Urban water distribution systems and their local storage (water tanks) within the service area are designed for fire-fighting. But these have been unusually large fires that might have exceeded the initial design standards for fire flows. My guess is that these extensive fires have put strains on the water distribution network and the ability of local fire-fighting storage to supply it. Designing to supply water for a few house fires or even one or two major fire is one thing, but these fires seem much more extensive."
Janisse Quiñones, DWP chief executive and chief engineer, told Los Angeles Times: The three large water tanks that supply hydrants in Palisades ran dry "because we were pushing so much water in our trunk line, and so much water was being used. ... we were not able to fill the tanks fast enough. So the consumption of water was faster than we can provide water in a trunk line."
Caruso in a report by the Los Angeles Times: "There's no water in the fire hydrants. The firefighters are there [in the neighborhood], and there's nothing they can do—we've got neighborhoods burning, homes burning, and businesses burning...It should never happen."
What Happens Next
DPW was sending 20 tanks of water to firefighters in Palisades on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported. Tankers were reloading water tankers were having to reload at other distant locations. Los Angeles DWP customers, particularly those on the west side of the city, are asked to conserve water to ensure enough is available for firefighters.
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