California Governor Gavin Newsom took to social media X to call for an independent investigation into unpressurized fire hydrants and reports of a drained reservoir as unprecedented wildfires raged across the state.
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“We need answers to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again and we have all the resources to fight such catastrophic fires,” he wrote.
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He attached a formal letter to his appeal addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Janisse Quinones, and the Director of Los Angeles County Public Works, the largest municipal public works agency in the United States, Mark Pestrella.
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The large 117-million-gallon reservoir in Pacific Palisades, part of the Los Angeles water supply system, was empty when the fires broke out, Los Angeles Times reporters found out. Officials said the Santa Ynez Reservoir was closed for repairs after a coating designed to preserve water quality ruptured.
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The exact date for decommissioning the reservoir is unknown; until this week, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power demonstrated uninterrupted operation.
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Former DWP CEO Martin Adam told the newspaper that if the reservoir had been in good condition, there would have been sufficient water pressure in Palisades on Tuesday night. However, he noted that this system was not originally designed to cope with forest fires of this scale.
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Wildfires began spreading in Los Angeles County on January 7th. According to meteorologists, the reason for the rapid spread of the fire was dry and very windy weather. About 400 thousand Californians remain without electricity, evacuation notices have been sent to almost 180 thousand local residents. Forensic experts confirmed the deaths of 10 people. The fire destroyed more than 10 thousand buildings in the region.
