California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for an independent investigation from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) after firefighters faced a nightmarish situation when fire hydrants ran out of water.
“From the moment the firestorm hit Los Angeles County on Tuesday, January 7th, it was clear that our public infrastructure would be under tremendous strain,” he said in a Friday letter to LADWP.
Newsom called the discovery “very alarming,” saying a fire at a Los Angeles home knocked out power to a fire hydrant and “likely compromised” recovery efforts.
“Continued reports of a loss of water pressure at some local fire hydrants during the fire, and reports that the water supply from the Santa Ynez Reservoir is no longer available, are extremely concerning to me and the community. ” he said. “Water supplies from local fire hydrants are not designed to extinguish widespread wildfires, but loss of water supply from hydrants could compromise efforts to protect some homes and evacuation routes.”
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass chats with California Governor Gavin Newsom while surveying damage from the Palisades Fire on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, California. (Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
“We need answers,” California's governor said, and said he had directed officials to prepare an independent post-incident report focused on determining the cause of the loss of water supply and water pressure.
“We need answers as to why it happened. That's why I'm calling on state water and fire officials to investigate what caused the city's water system to lose water supply and water pressure during the fire and take action.” “We have directed an independent post-incident report to be prepared that identifies what local governments can do to provide adequate water for emergency response in the event of a future catastrophe.” said.
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“We urge LADWP and Los Angeles County officials to quickly develop a comprehensive review that examines local preparedness and response procedures to ensure an available water supply during emergencies, and to address loss of water pressure and water outages.” We request that you document the cause.
A firefighter ties tape to a fire hydrant near a damaged building burned by the Eaton Fire on January 10, 2025 in Altadena, California, USA. (Ringo Chiu/Reuters)
Newsom's order comes after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Thursday that up to 20% of the city's fire hydrants are running dry. As of Thursday, firefighters had completely turned off the hydrant faucet, she said.
LADWP initially pumped aqueduct and groundwater into the system, but demand was so high that it pumped enough water to refill three million-gallon tanks in the hilly Pacific Palisades that help pressurize fire hydrants. It wasn't.
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At least 10,000 homes and buildings were engulfed in flames, with many destroyed.
