The city of Los Angeles is in a panic as wildfires rage on, with fire hydrants running dry and the mayor thousands of miles away.
The fires themselves came as no surprise, as the forecast predicted strong winds of up to 100 mph that could turn even minor flames into a towering inferno. On Monday night, Mayor Karen Bass (D) warned that the winds would likely be “destructive and potentially life-threatening.”
She was right. A fire broke out in the beautiful Pacific Palisades section of the city near the coast on Tuesday around 10:30 a.m., prompting tens of thousands of residents to evacuate the area.
While many attempt to flee, the fires continue to wipe out nearly everything in their path.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) soon afterward flew in to L.A. and noted that “not a few — many structures” had already been “destroyed.” Those destroyed structures reportedly included the homes of some celebrities, such as former reality TV stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag.
A terrifying video of two men and a dog trapped inside a home, surrounded by fire and smoke, quickly went viral on social media. Another video shows the evacuation of an assisted living facility as the young and ambulatory quickly push the elderly and infirm in wheelchairs across the street.
Firefighters have been battling the fires for hours, and at least one firefighter, a 25-year-old female, has already sustained “a serious head injury.”
Thankfully, no deaths have yet been reported. As of Wednesday morning, approximately 4,000 acres of land have already burned.
‘My understanding is the reservoir was not refilled in time and in a timely manner to keep the hydrants going.’
By nightfall on Tuesday, though, another major problem had materialized: Firefighters were running out of water.
“The hydrants are down,” one firefighter reported over the internal radio system, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Water supply just dropped,” said another.
The Department of Water and Power admitted that water scarcity was an issue but said that crews were working in the affected areas “to ensure the availability of water supplies,” a spokesperson said.
“This area is served by water tanks and close coordination is underway to continue supplying the area.”
The extent of the water shortage is unclear.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bass, who warned L.A. residents about impending disasters associated with the winds, was on the other side of the world in Ghana to attend the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama as part of an official U.S. delegation.
People on social media were outraged that Bass was in Africa while her city burns.
“RESIGN! WHY ARE YOU IN GHANA?!” one user commented on one of Bass’ X posts.”Hey Karen! How’s Ghana? LA you ask? Yeah it’s burning to the f***ing ground but it’s better you’re not here anyways because you’re useless,” said another.”There’s no water, Karen,” quipped another.
Bass, 71, is reportedly on her way back to L.A. on account of the fires.
Billionaire resident Rick Caruso, who competed against Bass in the Democratic mayoral primary in 2022, blamed Bass and other officials for the devastation caused perhaps by a lack of preparation and the policies that limit the water supply.
“We’ve had decades to remove the brush in these hills that spreads so quickly,” Caruso told KTTV on Tuesday.
“You have to have water,” he continued, “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.”
“It’s all about leadership and management that we’re seeing a failure of,” he added, “and all of these residents are paying the ultimate price for that.”
Perhaps to stave off further criticism regarding the mayor’s absence, Bass’ official X account posted messages in the wee hours of the night, warning about continued windstorms, providing updates about emergency shelters, and thanking firefighters for working so tirelessly.
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Karen bass, Los angeles, Wildfires, Firefighters, Lafd, Fire hydrants, Water, Water supply, Reservoir, Water reservoirs, Department of water and power, California, Palisades, Palisades fire, Politics