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A raging inferno and fire hydrants with no water
This morning we’ll take a look at the problems surrounding fire hydrants, which raise questions over how prepared local officials were for the devastating wildfires that have engulfed L.A. County. Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation into why the hydrants went dry.
But first, an update on the weather forecast: The region is expected to get a reprieve today from the powerful wind gusts that have amplified the destructive force of the blazes while also hampering firefighting efforts to contain them.
But forecasters warn that winds are expected to pick up on Sunday, which could be the start to as many as three Santa Ana wind events next week, my colleagues Rong-Gong Lin II and .
You can find more live updates about the wildfires and the efforts to contain them in this link.
L.A. County firefighter Scott Takeguma works to douse the flames on the remnants of a home in Altadena on Wednesday.
You can find more photos here. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Firefighting crews have repeatedly been hindered by low water pressure and dry fire hydrants
These problems have exposed vulnerabilities in city water supply systems not built for wildfires on this scale, experts told my colleagues Ian James, Matt Hamilton and Ruben Vives.
Powerful winds forced officials to temporarily ground water-dropping aircraft.
As a result, firefighting efforts were confined to the resources on the ground, putting the water system under tremendous strain, said Janisse Quiñones, chief executive and chief engineer at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
The limits of the area’s water system raise significant questions as fires become larger and more intense. It’s unclear how officials will respond to the problem, but utilities need to consider how much water storage capacity they need to develop in neighborhoods on the urban fringes, like the hillsides, a water researcher told my colleagues.
The Santa Ynez Reservoir as seen from above in September 2022. (Hayley Smith / Los Angeles Times)
A Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline and empty when a firestorm exploded
The Santa Ynez Reservoir was out of use and closed for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117-million-gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades, my colleague Matt Hamilton reports.
The large reservoir, had it been operable, could have helped with extending water pressure in the Palisades on Tuesday night, but only for a time, a former DWP general manager told Hamilton.
“You still would have ended up with serious drops in pressure,” said Martin Adams, the former general manager. “Would Santa Ynez [Reservoir] have helped? Yes, to some extent. Would it have saved the day? I don’t think so.”
DWP is evaluating the full effect of the reservoir being placed offline, a spokesperson said.
The week’s biggest stories
Rick Nishiyama, 56, of Huntington Beach walks along Lake Avenue in Altadena, where he grew up, to check out the fire damage. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
A flare-up of the Palisades fire forced more evacuations as L.A. reels from staggering losses
A part-time actor claimed he created a COVID-19 cure. Now he’s going to prison
- Keith Lawrence Middlebrook was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for soliciting investors in companies that prosecutors said marketed a bogus cure and treatment for COVID-19.
- Middlebrook, who was convicted in May of 11 counts of wire fraud, claimed he had consulted with seven attorneys and eight doctors “from the very beginning, for a product of this magnitude.”
California moves to aid undocumented students as deportation fears surge
The FDA sets limits for lead in many baby foods
- The agency set maximum levels for lead in baby foods in an effort to cut young kids’ exposure to the toxic metal, which causes developmental and neurological problems.
- The FDA guidance comes a week after a California law took effect that requires baby food makers selling products in the state to disclose levels of four heavy metals.
More big stories
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This week’s must reads
An Altadena resident’s body was found outside his destroyed home on Monterosa Drive with a garden hose still in his hand. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
A brother and sister made a fateful choice when fire approached. Only one survived. With the Eaton fire bearing down on an Altadena home, a brother and sister had to decide what to do. One left the scene. The other stayed behind. What happened next is a family tragedy.
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