Los Angeles Wildfires: What Could Have Minimised Damage In Catastrophic LA Fires? 'It's Catch-22'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Catastrophic wildfires, fueled by a dangerous combination of "exceptional dryness" and strong winds, continued to ravage South California on Saturday. At least 10 people reportedly died in the fire, luxury houses were burnt, acres of land was scorched and millions were forced to flee as wildfires engulfed parts of California since Tuesday.

Amid the chaos, California Governor Gavin Newsom called for a probe into "loss of water pressure to local fire hydrants and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir".

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said in an emotional interview with Fox 11 that her department's budget was cut and "it did impact our ability to provide service".

According to reports, Mayor Karen Bass had trimmed more than $17 million in funding to the fire department. She defended her actions, saying the reductions came during“tough budgetary times” and didn't impact the wildfire response, Bloomberg reported.

Fully operational hydrants could have helped minimize some of the damage caused due to the wilfires - saving a house, or snuffing out embers there, CNN reported while citing a few experts.

Experts told CNN that even fully functioning hydrants would not have been enough to battle these Los Angeles wildfires, particularly when air resources, such as helicopters and fixed-winged aircrafts were grounded due to the wind.

Greg Pierce, a water-resource expert at UCLA, was quoted as saying. "I don't know a water system in the world that is that prepared for this type of event." But still, fully operational hydrants could have helped minimise the damage.

In Altadena, where the Eaton Fire broke out Tuesday, problems with dry hydrants traced back to a lack of electricity. Officials were reportedly unable to pump water to refill tanks because Southern California Edison cut power in the area to protect firefighters from falling power lines.

Without power, Bob Gomperz, a board member at a Southern California water supplier which provides water to the western region of Altadena, said, there was no way to pump water to where it was needed.“It's a Catch-22,” he was quoted as saying.

In an interview with CNN, Gomperz explained that in foothill communities like Altadena, the water system relies, in part, on gravity. That means water needs to be pumped into tanks at higher elevations so that it can flow downhill when needed.

Last year, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass approved over $17 million in cuts to the annual fire budget. Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said that the budget cuts had affected the department's training and fire prevention efforts.

She specifically mentioned that current funding limited the department's ability to complete required brush clearance inspections, which she described as“crucial for mitigating fire risks in high-hazard areas.”

“We are screaming to be properly funded,” Crowley told Fox11 on Friday.

Meanwhile, Bass said recently,“It's important to understand that we were in tough budgetary times..." Bass also said additional funding had been allocated“to be distributed later on.”

A spokesperson for City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield told CNN, "That additional funding amounted to a $53 million increase for the fire budget from the previous year."

LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a press conference that there were not enough firefighters to take on the multiple enormous and quickly spreading blazes located across wide swaths of the city and county.“We don't have enough fire personnel in LA County, between all of the departments, to handle this,” Marrone was quoted by CNN as saying.

Meanwhile, experts said residents should also play a role in mitigating fire damage. David Barrett, an official of a public safety nonprofit organization, said, "Although the fire has destroyed the community, that doesn't mean that this isn't a great time to become a fire-safe council to aid them in securing additional financing to be able to rebuild the Palisades."

He, however, said the main culprit that destroyed the Palisades was the wind, and that none of the standard precautions would have been enough to thwart.

CNN's analysis of state data showed that only a small fraction of homes in the areas threatened by this week's fires were built after standard building codes were enacted. The codes require ignition-resistant roofs, fire-resistant siding, and exterior windows and doors that can resist fire for at least 20 minutes, among other features.

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