Newsom orders independent investigation into dry fire hydrants during L.A. fires

Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation by state water and fire officials into the causes behind water supply problems that left 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.”

Chief Executive Officer and Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Janisse Quinones, right, listens on a tour of the LADWP’s biggest solar and battery storage plant, the Eland Solar and Storage Center in the Mojave Desert of Kern County on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024 near California City, CA.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

The governor said in a letter to Janisse Quiñones, the L.A. Department of Water and Power’s chief executive and chief engineer, that report of “the loss of water pressure to some local fire hydrants during the fires and the reported unavailability of water supplies from Santa Ynez Reservoir are deeply troubling to me and the community.”

“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.

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 have grappled with low pressure.

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

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

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.