Firefighters battling the massive Palisades blaze in Southern California this week faced an additional obstacle, as fire hydrants ran dry.
What's happening?
The Los Angeles Times reported that all water storage tanks in the Palisades area "went dry" by 3 a.m. local time Wednesday as the massive Palisades Fire raged. This diminished the flow of water from hydrants in higher elevations.
"We had a tremendous demand on our system in the Palisades. We pushed the system to the extreme," said Janisse Quiñones, chief executive and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, according to the Times. "Four times the normal demand was seen for 15 hours straight, which lowered our water pressure."
A number of current and former officials expressed what the Times described as "fury" about the situation, including L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park, who blamed it on a "chronic under-investment" by the city into public infrastructure and safety.
Why is this fire and the lack of water concerning?
Officials said that water pressure remained strong in lower parts of the Pacific Palisades, but without water in the hydrants in the higher-lying neighborhoods, there was nothing that firefighters could do to fight against the blaze in those areas.
The Palisades Fire broke out on Tuesday, Jan. 7. As of Thursday afternoon, it had burned 17,234 acres, according to an infographic provided by the Times and Cal Fire. It is now officially the largest wildfire in Los Angeles history, and officials believe thousands of structures have been destroyed or damaged, according to KTLA5 — many of these structures are businesses or homes.Â
Meanwhile, several other wildfires are active in the Los Angeles area, which has forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate, CNN reported. The death toll is unknown, though five casualties have been officially reported. Many other people in the area face gas and power shut-offs. Â
Though wildfires have always happened, warming global temperatures are making them more frequent and severe. For instance, scientists calculated last year that our overheating planet has contributed to a 172% increase in areas burned by wildfires in California since the 1970s.Â
In addition to loss of life and property, wildfires pose other health risks due to pollution. In fact, researchers say that inhaling wildfire smoke is just as bad for you as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
What's being done about wildfires?
As of Thursday, the Palisades Fire was still at 0% containment.
While we can't stop all wildfires from occurring, we can help decrease the risk of worsening fires driven by the climate crisis by reducing our dependence on dirty energy sources, which account for more than 75% of planet-heating pollution.Â
While officials like Park contend that Los Angeles has infrastructure work to do, the city has made some headway on cutting its use of dirty fuels. For instance, it outlawed gas power in all newly constructed buildings. Plus, it appears to be taking on its water crisis by investing $740 million into a facility that will convert wastewater into clean drinking water.
You can make a difference for the climate by taking simple actions such as voting for pro-climate candidates or investing your money in a green 401k, both of which can help to lead to bigger actions like the above.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
