Los Angeles wildfires devour thousands of homes, death toll rises to 10

Multiple wildfires sweeping across Los Angeles County have caused extensive damage and claimed at least 10 lives, with up to 10,000 structures destroyed.

Firefighting efforts were hindered by a series of issues, including the failure of fire hydrants in certain areas. In Pacific Palisades, the municipal water system was unable to meet the unprecedented demand during the fires, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Janisse Quiñones, CEO of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, explained that the system, not designed for wildfires, struggled to provide sufficient water. Firefighters used four times the normal amount of water for 15 hours, depleting three storage tanks that supply hydrants in the area. As a result, 20 per cent of hydrants ran dry during the fire.

Even with fully operational hydrants, experts noted that the sheer scale of the fires made it impossible to rely on the water system alone. Greg Pierce, a UCLA water-resource expert, stated that no water system is prepared for such an event, especially when air support, including helicopters and aircraft, was grounded due to high winds.

Additionally, a nearby reservoir was empty due to ongoing repairs, further complicating firefighting efforts. California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for an independent investigation into the water supply failures, emphasizing the need for improvements to ensure better preparedness for future fires.

In Altadena, the Eaton Fire exposed further vulnerabilities in the water supply system. A lack of electricity, due to power cuts aimed at protecting firefighters from downed power lines, prevented water from being pumped into tanks, leaving the area with no way to replenish its water supply.

Despite the mounting risks posed by climate change and an increasing frequency of wildfires, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley expressed concern over budget cuts that have limited the fire department's capacity to respond to large-scale emergencies.

These cuts have affected fire prevention, training, and staffing, with Crowley arguing that additional resources could have minimized the damage caused by this wildfire. Mayor Karen Bass defended the city's budget decisions, stating that the cuts did not impact the current crisis, though additional funding is now being allocated to the fire department.

President Joe Biden, who declared a major disaster on January 9, announced that the federal government would cover 100 per cent of the recovery costs for the next 180 days, including expenses for debris removal, hazardous material clean-up, temporary shelters, and first responder salaries.

"I told the governor, local officials, spare no expense to do what they need to do and contain these fires," Biden said after meeting with senior advisers at the White House," Biden stated following a meeting with senior advisers at the White House.

Five wildfires are currently raging across Los Angeles County, with the largest, the Palisades fire, only 6 per cent contained, and the Eaton fire still at 0 per cent. Aircraft have been actively dropping retardant and water on the burning hills.

A Super Scooper aircraft, borrowed from Canada, was damaged and grounded after colliding with an unauthorized civilian drone near the Palisades fire, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

A rapidly expanding blaze, known as the Kenneth Fire, erupted on January 9 near Calabasas, one of the wealthiest cities in the US and home to many celebrities and exclusive communities. Within hours, the fire spread across 960 acres (388 hectares).

In a tense moment, Los Angeles County mistakenly issued an evacuation notice for the entire county, affecting its 9.6 million residents, when the warning was intended only for areas near the Kenneth Fire. A correction was quickly issued.

The Eaton Fire has damaged or destroyed between 4,000 and 5,000 structures, while the Palisades Fire has impacted another 5,300 buildings. Some residents of Pacific Palisades, where the fire had already passed, returned to witness the devastation, with brick chimneys standing among the charred remains of homes and vehicles.

By Vafa Guliyeva