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January 24, 2025
Homes along the Pacific Coast Highway between Malibu and the Palisades (Photo Credit: Association of Fundraising Professionals)
For over a week, most of Los Angeles County has been experiencing extreme hurricane winds and many destructive wildfires. On Jan. 7 the Palisades fire, specifically, was one of the most destructive in California history, burning over 23,700 acres of land. Hundreds of homes, businesses, and buildings have been completely demolished. Schools too have faced either being completely demolished or badly damaged due to the Palisades fire.
One rising question that came up is why the fire hydrants had either low water pressure, or no water at all. This has concerned many residents, leaving many of them hopeless in saving their multi-million dollar homes. The majority of the homes in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway, faced complete demolishment. Due to the lack of water, block after block burned down, leaving former residents with nothing but piles of debris and ash, losing their homes, cars, and personal belongings.
There have been reports of hydrants being broken, but the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) corrected any false or misinterpreted information. LADWP said, “Water pressure in the system was lost due to unprecedented and extreme water demand to fight the wildfire without aerial support. This impacted our ability to refill the three water tanks supplying the Palisades causing the loss of suction pressure. This impacted 20 percent of the hydrants in the area.” The Los Angeles Times also reported a quote from an LAFD firefighter, “‘We had a tremendous demand on our system in the Palisades. We pushed the system to the extreme,’ Quiñones said Wednesday morning. ‘Four times the normal demand was seen for 15 hours straight, which lowered our water pressure.’”
The extreme demand for water impacted firefighters harshly when water pressure gave out while they were still trying to extinguish fires in the Palisades and Malibu. Most fire hydrants are designed to put out house fires, not an entire block or neighborhood. Plus, they were running water for over fifteen hours straight, and they did this with multiple hydrants around the area, which lessened the pressure resulting in little to no water pressure. This brought firefighters difficulty and it soon became a challenge for firefighters trying to save these homes, let alone block after block.
Unfortunately, because of the lack of water pressure and water, the majority of homes and businesses in Malibu and the Palisades have burned down, including iconic businesses that have been in the area for decades. Of course, some homes are still standing in Malibu and the Palisades, but there are very few.
The amount of destruction that took place left a lot of people in distress and destitute. Hopefully many will be able to rebuild, and get the help and resources they need to recover during this difficult and emotional time in Los Angeles.
Sources: LATimes and LADWP News
Firefighters trying to save homes in the Palisades (Photo Credit: The American Legion)
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