Hydrants Ran Dry, Water Shortage as Firefighters Battled Deadly Los Angeles Wildfires

Los Angeles: As firefighters across Los Angeles continue to fight the intense wildfires in the region that ravaged over 10,000 structures, one major challenge that emerged was "fire hydrants" in some areas ran dry and had low water pressure hampered efforts to control the flames, according to a report by LA Times.

Martin Adams, former general manager of the  Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP said, "The system has never been designed to fight a wildfire that then envelops a community."

Earlier, Mayor Bass said 20 per cent of hydrants went dry.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was pumping from aqueducts and groundwater into the system, but demand was so high that it wasn’t enough to refill three 1-million gallon tanks in hilly Pacific Palisades that help pressurize hydrants for the neighbourhood. Many went dry as at least 1,000 buildings were engulfed in flames.

The dry hydrants prompted a swirl of criticism on social media, including from President-elect Donald Trump , who said seized on the moment to blame Newsom for the dry fire hydrants. In a post on his Truth Social media network Wednesday, he renewed criticisms of the state’s approach to balancing the distribution of water to farms and cities with the need to protect endangered species including the Delta smelt. Trump has sided with farmers over environmentalists in a long-running dispute over California’s scarce water resources.

About 40 per cent of Los Angeles city water comes from state-controlled projects connected to northern California, and the state has limited the water it delivers this year. Yet the southern California reservoirs these canals help feed are at above-average levels for this time of year.

Stunned, Tearful: 11 Dead, Nearly 200,000 Evacuated

The death toll in the deadly California wildfires rose to 11, as per AP. Nearly, 200,000 people were ordered to evacuate on Thursday as wildfires encroached on densely populated and wealthy neighbourhoods, including Calabasas and Santa Monica. All schools were closed Thursday in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

In a press conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stated that the administration has decided to impose a night-time curfew in the city amidst raging concerns regarding wildfire.

"You cannot be in these affected areas. If you are, you are subject to arrest." He further added, "We're doing it to protect the structures, the houses that people have left because we ordered them to leave."

"We're not doing this to inconvenience anybody. This curfew will be strictly enforced and is being taken to enhance public safety, protect property and prevent any burglaries or looting in the area that the residents have evacuated," he added.