Where fire hydrants failed, Pacific Palisades residents call for water solutions
During last year’s L.A. firestorms, hydrants ran out of water. Residents are calling for solutions to ensure more water for firefighting.
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A year after the deadly L.A. firestorms, residents in Pacific Palisades are looking back at a question that spurred outrage and debate: Why did some hydrants lose pressure and run out of water?
One resident says he watched his home burn while firefighters stood nearby, unable to use a hydrant. Another resident was prepared when his neighborhood lost water pressure, and tapped into a pool with a gasoline-powered pump.
Water managers say L.A.’s water systems were never designed for wildfires that rage through entire neighborhoods, or for infernos intensified by climate change. In light of the disaster, residents and experts are looking to a range of potential solutions to help have more water on hand for firefighting. Proposed ideas include designing new local systems with cisterns, encouraging the use of household firefighting equipment that draws on pools, and having temporary pipes and pumps that can be deployed quickly when a fire erupts.
One resident says he watched his home burn while firefighters stood nearby, unable to use a hydrant. Another resident was prepared when his neighborhood lost water pressure, and tapped into a pool with a gasoline-powered pump.
Water managers say L.A.’s water systems were never designed for wildfires that rage through entire neighborhoods, or for infernos intensified by climate change. In light of the disaster, residents and experts are looking to a range of potential solutions to help have more water on hand for firefighting. Proposed ideas include designing new local systems with cisterns, encouraging the use of household firefighting equipment that draws on pools, and having temporary pipes and pumps that can be deployed quickly when a fire erupts.
