Newsom orders investigation into dry fire hydrants that hampered firefighting in L.A.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation into the causes behind water supply problems that left fire hydrants dry and hampered firefighting efforts during the devastating fires in Southern California.

Newsom’s demand for answers came amid criticism of city officials in Los Angeles over their handling of the disaster and questions about whether local water-related decisions and planning played a role in depriving firefighters of water during the most destructive fires in L.A. history. The governor has also come under criticism, largely on social media and in right-wing media coverage, for the state’s handling of the disaster.

“I am calling for an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure to local fire hydrants and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir,” the governor said in a post on X. “We need answers to ensure this does not happen again and we have every resource available to fight these catastrophic fires.”

The governor cited news reports that some fire hydrants had lost water pressure and that the reservoir in Pacific Palisades was out of commission and empty during the fires, calling the reports “deeply troubling to me and the community.” He raised his concerns in a letter on Friday to Janisse Qui?ones, the L.A. Department of Water and Power’s chief executive and chief engineer.

“While water supplies from local fire hydrants are not designed to extinguish wildfires over large areas, losing supplies from fire hydrants likely impaired the effort to protect some homes and evacuation corridors,” Newsom wrote. “We need answers to how that happened.”

Janisse Qui?ones is chief executive and chief engineer of the L.A. Department of Water and Power.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

The limitations of local water systems complicated firefighting efforts in Pacific Palisades, where scores of fire hydrants were left with little or no water, and in Altadena and Pasadena, which are served by different utilities and where firefighters say they grappled with low pressure as the Eaton fire spread.

The problems have exposed what experts say are vulnerabilities in city water supply systems not built for wildfires on this scale. Water researchers and experts have said the systems that supply neighborhoods don’t have the capacity to deliver such large volumes of water.

Additionally, the Santa Ynez Reservoir in Pacific Palisades was out of use as the wildfire destroyed thousands of homes. Officials told The Times that the reservoir had been closed for repairs to its cover, leaving the 117-million-gallon water storage complex empty.

California

State to probe why Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline, empty when firestorm exploded

A reservoir in the Palisades that holds 117 million gallons of water was offline this month for previously scheduled maintenance.

Jan. 10, 2025

Whether having the reservoir online would have had a meaningful impact on fighting the blaze is unclear. The DWP says staffers are conducting an analysis to evaluate the effect of the reservoir being offline.

Newsom said he has directed state water and firefighting officials to “prepare an independent after-incident report examining the causes of lost water supply and water pressure in municipal water systems during the fire events, and to identify measures that local governments can implement to provide adequate water supply for emergency response during future catastrophic events.”

A representative of DWP welcomed the announcement. “We appreciate the Governor’s letter and believe that an investigation will help identify any new needed capabilities for water systems to support fighting wildfires,” said Ellen Cheng, a DWP spokesperson.

The DWP and city officials have faced criticism from residents as well as Rick Caruso, the developer and former mayoral candidate, who blamed “mismanagement” and old infrastructure.

Elon Musk has also criticized the response to the fires, telling his followers on X that the immense loss of homes was primarily due to “bad governance at the state and local level that resulted in a shortage of water.”

President Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials attend a disaster briefing Wednesday at Santa Monica’s Fire Station No. 5.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Water researchers said, however, that the infrastructure limitations are a common feature of many urban water systems.

“Local water systems are usually designed to fight local, small-scale fires over a limited time period,” said Kathryn Sorensen, director of research at Arizona State University’s Kyl Center for Water Policy. “They are not generally designed to fight large, long-lasting wildfires.”

The existing water system in Los Angeles has “severe limits,” said Gregory Pierce, director of the UCLA Water Resources Group. “At least the way we’ve always built systems and wanted to pay for systems, you can’t really expect systems, even like DWP’s, to be prepared for this.”

Newsom asked in the letter, which he also addressed to Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella, that city and county agencies “swiftly prepare a comprehensive review examining their local preparation and response procedures to ensure available water supply for emergencies.”

The governor urged them to “document any causes of the loss of water pressure and unavailability of water supplies,” and asked them to share information and records for the state’s review.

L.A. County Public Works said the unprecedented wildfires show the need for “increased regional collaboration amid the weather whiplash effects of climate change.” The agency said the county’s water plan, which has been adopted by local water agencies, outlines goals including infrastructure upgrades to improve water pressure and storage, and efforts to identify vulnerabilities to strengthen emergency preparation.

Newsom offered state assistance for disaster response and recovery efforts, as well as to “examine local public agency actions throughout this catastrophe and to learn from the lessons of this tragedy.”

Newsom also sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump on Friday inviting him to visit California to meet with fire victims and emergency workers, and to survey the areas devastated by the fires. Trump has been a vocal critic of Newsom and blamed the governor and “his Los Angeles crew” for failing in their fire response.

“In the spirit of this great country, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines,” Newsom said.

Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.