Fire in Pacific Palisades Ignites Due to Reservoir Outage
A fire broke out in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles on Tuesday, burning through 20,000 acres as of Friday afternoon. The blaze was exacerbated by the unavailability of the Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117-million gallon storage unit that was out of commission due to repairs. This outage may have hindered firefighters’ efforts by limiting water pressure from the local system.
Investigation Initiated by California Governor
California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed deep concern over the reports of water pressure loss in fire hydrants and the unavailability of water supplies from the reservoir during the Palisades Fire. He called for an investigation into the water supply issues and directed state officials to prepare an independent after-incident report to examine the causes of the lost water supply and pressure.
Newsom also requested a comprehensive review from city and county officials to evaluate their local preparation and response procedures. Marty Adams, a former general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, mentioned that while the reservoir’s availability could have helped maintain water pressure, it may not have significantly altered the fire’s outcomes.
Challenges Faced During Fire Response
During the firefighting efforts, high elevation fire hydrants dried up, impeding the battle against the flames. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power stated that the water system was not designed to handle such severe wildfires. The demand for water skyrocketed during the fire, putting immense pressure on the existing infrastructure.
Adams explained that the typical water service to the Pacific Palisades area relies on a trunk line that flows from the Upper Stone Canyon Reservoir down to the Santa Ynez Reservoir. If the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been in service, water managers could have redirected water to alleviate some pressure and increase water supply in the affected areas.
Limits of Water Infrastructure
Adams highlighted the challenges faced by the water infrastructure in meeting the demands of a widespread wildfire. He mentioned that domestic water systems are not designed to handle such large-scale disasters. Pre-filling the reservoir ahead of the fire outbreak was deemed impractical, as the location of the fire’s origin was unpredictable.
In scenarios where the reservoir was filled out of precaution, the water might have been considered nonpotable and wasted post-incident. The Santa Ynez Reservoir has a massive capacity of 117 million gallons, but not all of it would have been usable during the fire. Despite the limitations of the water system, efforts were made to optimize the available resources to combat the Palisades Fire.
Evan Bush, a science reporter for NBC News, covered this development with contributions from Andrew Blankstein and David Douglas. The investigation into the water supply issues continues as authorities seek to understand the impact of the reservoir outage on the firefighting operations.
