Environmentalism-Obsessed LA Doesn’t Have Enough Water to Fight Fire Effectively

Los Angeles residents in the exclusive Pacific Palisades neighborhood are paying a heavy price for poor leadership and environmentalism run amok.

“About 1,000 structures, including many homes, have been destroyed in the fire, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during a news conference Wednesday morning,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

As firefighters sought to combat the blaze, their fire hydrants ran empty.

L.A. developer Rick Caruso, who owns the Palisades Village mall, told the Times, “There’s no water in the fire hydrants.”

“The firefighters are there [in the neighborhood], and there’s nothing they can do — we’ve got neighborhoods burning, homes burning, and businesses burning. … It should never happen,” he said.

“This is a window into a systemic problem of the city — not only of mismanagement, but our infrastructure is old,” Caruso argued.

🚨 #BREAKING: Los Angeles fire hydrants are OUT OF WATER because the county REFUSED to refill reservoirs, per Rick Caruso

“You can’t fight a fire without water!”

The Mayor did ZERO prep despite the advanced warning of winds and fire risk.

This is EXACTLY what happened on Maui! pic.twitter.com/fBj445yGgw

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 8, 2025

A spokesman for the L.A.’s Department of Water and Power acknowledged reports of the lack of water but could not provide details on the number of hydrants without water, according to the Times.

“In a statement, the DWP said water crews were working in the neighborhood ‘to ensure the availability of water supplies,’” the Times reported.

“This area is served by water tanks and close coordination is underway to continue supplying the area,” the DWP said in its statement.

Around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, a hydrant firefighters were using on Lachman Lane ran dry. You can hear what sounds like air pushing out, but no water. #PalisadesWildfire #PalisadeFire #PacificPalisades pic.twitter.com/09e6FRrcIM

— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) January 8, 2025

Caruso — who previously served as a commissioner of the city’s Board of Water and Power and ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2022 — told L.A. local Fox affiliate KTTV, “They can’t fight a fire without water and the resources that are needed.”

“The real issue to me is two-fold,” he explained. “We’ve had decades to go remove the brush in these hills that spread so quickly, and the second is, you’ve got to have water. And my understanding is, the reservoir was not refilled in time and in a timely manner to keep the hydrants going, so that’s a failure whether on DWP’s part or another city agency. But this is basic stuff. This isn’t high science here.”

I just left the hellscape formerly know as Pacific Palisades where I’ve lived for 26 years. I’m mad at what I saw. Our politicians have failed us. Unprepared, unimaginative, understaffed, now overwhelmed. Heads must roll for this disaster. I personally saw 100+ homes fully… pic.twitter.com/8txvSJEZXd

— Wes Nichols (@wesnichols) January 8, 2025

President-elect Donald Trump put some of the blame on Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s environmental policies.

“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump posted on .

“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!” the president-elect added.

Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning…

— Donald J. Trump Posts From His (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 8, 2025

The New York Times reported in 2023 that “tens of billions of gallons [of water] — have been rushing in recent days straight into the Pacific Ocean, a devastating conundrum for a state whose future depends on holding on to any drop it can.”

“The era of great dam building passed long ago, owing largely to the multifronted environmental wars California is fighting, and the county has been slow to adopt alternatives. The bulk of the roughly $1 billion collected from Los Angeles County taxpayers over the past four years to store more water has gone largely unspent,” the news outlet said.

This is what’s left of the Pacific Palisades. The mall survived. Most everything else is gone. Homes, apartment complexes… businesses. pic.twitter.com/Vfz721V48J

— Jonathan Vigliotti 🐋 (@JonVigliotti) January 8, 2025

California Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle argued in 2022 that the state’s water shortages are due to poor management.

“If [water] were managed properly, California receives enough rain and snow to serve its 40 million residents and 4 million acres of farmland for several years,” Dahle said.

He pointed out that Californians have voted multiple times since 1996 to upgrade their water infrastructure and improve their storage capacity, but the projects have remained tied up for years due to environmental impact studies and other regulatory roadblocks.

Had even some of the proposals been greenlit, the state would be in a much better place, Dahle contended.

“At one time in our history, California’s water system was state of the art and admired around the world.  It drove an economic engine that allowed our state to thrive and grow, bringing prosperity never before seen on earth,” Dahle wrote. “Sadly, the neglect shown over the last 40 years threatens to end this ‘Golden’ era.”

Angelinos are now paying the price for poor leadership and environmental craziness.

Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.