As flames quickly engulfed neighborhoods in the Los Angeles County community of Pacific Palisades, the firefight was hampered by several major issues, including wind speeds and water pressure issues.
The extreme winds, expected to continue Wednesday into Thursday, were clocked as high as 60 mph, temporarily grounding firefighting aircraft as flames spread rapidly in the overnight hours. The water pressure issues, at one point and for several hours, impacted the ability to supply water to fire hydrants, officials acknowledged at Wednesday morning press conference.
Janisse Quinones, CEO and Chief Engineer for LA Department of Water and Power, said three large water tanks, about 1 million gallons each, were impacted.
"We ran out of water, and the first tank at about 4:45 p.m. yesterday," Quinones said. "We ran out of water on the second tank about 8:30 p.m., and the third tank about 3 a.m. this morning."
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Quinones said the DWP was not able to fill the tanks, which help with the pressure on the fire hydrants, fast enough.
"We were not able to fill the tanks fast enough, so the consumption of water was faster than we can provide water in our trunk line," Quinoes said.
During questions, one official said at 3 a.m. "all of the fire hydrants went dry."
Erik Scott, the LAFD's public information officer, said on X Wednesday that the DWP had proactively filled all available storage tanks in the Palisades area, but water availability "was impacted at higher elevations, which affected some fire hydrants due to limited replenishment of water tanks in those areas."
"The extreme demand caused a slower refill rate for these tanks which created a challenge for our firefighting effort," Scott added.
All firefighting aircraft had been temporarily grounded due to high winds, but flights resumed midday Wednesday.
Red flag conditions, including strong winds, are in the forecast into Thursday. LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley said she has never seen winds like the powerful blasts that swept through Pacific Palisades in her 25-year career.
Mark Pestrella, director of LA County Public Works, said the hydrant system was "not designed to fight wildfires."
"A firefight with multiple fire hydrants drawing water from the system for several hours is unsustainable," Pestrella said. "That's why air support is so critical to the firefight, and unfortunately, wind and air visibility have prevented that support county water reservoir, however, county and city water reservoirs open reservoirs are available and on standby. Once that support becomes available, we will be having fixed wing as well as helicopter draw of water from our system.
"We also need customers to understand that it is really quite futile to attempt to fight fire with your fire with your hose at your house, that's not something I would recommend you do. But in fact, I would ask that you turn off your water and turn off your gas, both things before you leave the residents, so that we can continue to have that water supply for the hydrant system, the transportation system is operating with many, many closures."
NBCLA encountered residents with garden hoses, some standing on rooftops, attempting to water down homes and yards with garden hoses.
The Palisades Fire was one of three major wildfires burning Wednesday in Los Angeles County. It has burned more than 15,800 acres and destroyed 1,000 structures.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at the Wednesday news conference that firefighting resources were in place prior to the fires due to red flag conditions, but firefighters are facing some of the most dangerous conditions they've ever seen.
"There are not enough firefighters in LA County to address four separate fires of this magnitude," Marrone said. "The LA County Fire Department was prepared for one or two major wildfires, but not the four. This is not a normal red flag alert."
The Eaton Fire near the foothill community of Altadena also prompted evacuation orders in the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles after it started Tuesday evening.
The Hurst Fire started late Tuesday in Sylmar, located in the northern San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.
Early Wednesday, the Woodley Fire burned more than 75 acres in the Sepulveda Basin in Los Angeles' west San Fernando Valley.
