Reservoirs - California failure

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How Policy Decisions Exacerbated the Devastating Los Angeles Wildfires - Reservoirs:​

Reservoirs

When it was needed most, certain neighborhoods in Los Angeles had their water run out:

The longtime Cal Fire volunteer said he encountered at least four dry hydrants as he tried to battle the Eaton Fire in Altadena on Wednesday. Fellow firefighters had to drive to neighboring Pasadena to fill their trucks.

“How do you fight a fire with no water?” Babroff said.

As wildfires tore through greater Los Angeles this week, one of the most exasperating obstacles firefighters have come up against are hydrants with no water. In Pacific Palisades, hydrants failed after three tanks each holding a million gallons of water went dry within a span of 12 hours, officials said.

Across the city in Altadena, residents said they futilely tried to extinguish flames with water from pools and garden hoses.

Some experts pointed out that most municipal water systems are designed to handle the water flow required to fight a house fire or building fire — not simultaneous high-level demand all over the neighborhood.

 

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