With multiple wildfires burning in Southern California, including the Palisades fire in Los Angeles, authorities have taken the unusual step of pumping out seawater to help fight the fires.
Frank Papalia, a former New York City Fire Department captain and fire safety expert at Global Security Group, said salt water can damage equipment, infrastructure and wildlife, but firefighters still don't want to use salt water. It may be necessary to use .
“When someone falls, hurts themselves, maybe breaks their neck or something, you don't move them. [But] If there's a fire or chemicals around them, they'll die. So we have to move them — we don't have a choice,” he told FOX News Digital.
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On Tuesday, a house was seen burning in Pacific Palisades, California, as residents tried to flee the scene. (Teyfan Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
He said the main way to use salt water to fight fires is by pulling it up from the ocean using planes or helicopters and dumping it from the air.
Video shows it's already happening in Southern California, where massive wildfires are spiraling out of control. However, one of the planes had already been taken out of service because someone had placed a drone on its wing. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, and a spokesperson told Fox News Digital that interfering with firefighters is a federal crime punishable by up to a year in prison and a $75,000 fine.
Firefighters are working to extinguish the Palisades Fire, which destroyed multiple buildings in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Salt water can damage infrastructure, kill wildlife and have other impacts, but sometimes it's a necessary trade-off, Papalia said.
“In this case, your city is being burned down, so using salt water is not such a bad thing,” he told FOX News Digital. “The problem is there are limits to how many aircraft can fly at once, how far they can fly, and how much water they can hold. Yesterday we couldn't fly because of the wind.”
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On Tuesday, a Super Scooper plane sprayed water on the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Modern fire hydrants do not use salt water for several reasons. They use the same pipes that provide fresh tap water to homes and businesses. No corrosion resistance. Also, the cost of installing a new saltwater hydrant system connected to a marine pump “would be ridiculous,” Papalia said.
Hydrants are also pressure dependent and pressure will be lost if each hydrant opens at the same time.
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However, the fire engine itself can use salt water. It needs to be close enough to receive the brine, followed by a thorough cleaning.
“It's at JFK Airport,” Papalia said of the New York City airport. “We're pumping water out of Jamaica Bay. If we're going to do it on the beach, how are we going to drive a fire engine into the sand?”
A vehicle went up in flames during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Wednesday. (Ethan Swope/Associated Press)
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at least 10 people died in the fire Officials say outbreaks have occurred across Southern California, and Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said he expected the death toll to rise. More than 130,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes.
California Governor Gavin Newsom The Los Angeles office announced that the state is sending more than 7,500 firefighters and support personnel to assist Los Angeles as the fires continue.
Firefighters battle blazes at the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, Wednesday. (Jason Almond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Nearby states including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and New Mexico are also sending fire services.
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“There is no question that this will be one of the worst fires in the history of the world,” Papalia said.
