Hydrants run dry as wildfire burns LA city; 5 dead
What's the story
Fire hydrants in Pacific Palisades, California, were emptied overnight on Tuesday as the demand for water to fight a major wildfire soared.
The blaze is one of the six in Southern California— Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, Sunset, and Woodley fires—that have burned thousands of acres.
The fires have also claimed five lives in Eaton.
The Palisades Fire grew in size as fierce winds swept through northwest Los Angeles, forcing at least 30,000 residents of the upscale Pacific Palisades suburb to flee.
Water crisis
Wildfires put 'extreme' strain on water system, says official
Janisse Quinones, CEO of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, emphasized the tremendous pressure on the water system during a news conference on Wednesday.
"We pushed the system to the extreme," she said. The demand for water was four times higher than usual for 15 straight hours, she added.
Quinones appealed to residents across the region to conserve water to help firefighting efforts.
Evacuation orders
New brush fire prompts further evacuations in Hollywood Hills
In another development, a fast-moving brush fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night, making it the sixth fire to break out. This led to additional evacuations as firefighters battled to contain multiple blazes in Los Angeles.
The Sunset Fire burned at least 20 acres and was 0% contained as of late Wednesday night.
Evacuation orders were given for areas such as Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Mulholland Drive.
Twitter Post
Fire in Hollywood Hills
A new fire is raging in the Hollywood Hills and at this point I have a serious question: Who or what is starting all of these fires? It feels like these can’t all be natural at this point. Has the city said anything about the origin of these fires?pic.twitter.com/EJNOXQ86Fx
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) January 9, 2025
Public reaction
Residents express concern as fires threaten landmarks
The fire is near famous landmarks including the Hollywood Bowl music venue and is about 16.09km from the Hollywood Sign.
Meanwhile, the White House said that US President Joe Biden has canceled his planned trip to focus on tackling the California wildfires.
Biden was set to depart later on Thursday for Rome and the Vatican, his final abroad trip as president.
AccuWeather, a private weather forecaster, believes that wildfires would cause more than $50 billion in damage and economic loss.