When fire hydrants ran dry in the first hours of the Palisades fire, firefighters faced confusion and costly delays in getting vital water trucks into the area to help fight the destructive blaze, new city documents revealed.<\/p>\n
It took some time for officials to secure so-called tender trucks and when they finally arrived, the fire was so intense they needed escorts to get to the front lines, according to Los Angeles Fire Department\u2019s after-action report<\/a> released this week. <\/p>\n \u201cEngineers were needed to shuttle water from further locations, further delaying suppression efforts,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n The revelations underscore how scarce water supplies hampered the Palisades fire fight.<\/p>\n As the inferno consumed homes Jan. 7, some hydrants ran dry in high-elevation areas, The Times has reported. The 117-million gallon Santa Ynez Reservior \u2014 long seen as a lifeline for the Palisades <\/a>\u2014 was empty and undergoing repairs.<\/p>\n Rick Crawford, a former LAFD battalion chief who retired from the agency in 2024, said if the Fire Department had spoken with the Department of Water and Power after the wind forecast came in, the agency likely would have known firefighters would face water issues in the Palisades. Then they could have prepared, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had ample opportunity to have these discussions and implement their water tender strategy,\u201d Crawford said. \u201cNone of this was done.\u201d <\/p>\n The water pressure from the hydrants fell as the fire burned. Firefighters tried to turn off water to several homes to conserve. Multiple firefighting divisions requested water tenders, both from the city and private sources. But there was a delay in asking for the city Emergency Management Department\u2019s support getting the trucks, the report states.<\/p>\n Instead, the Incident Command Post looked for specialized tanker trucks that can also fight fire, known as tactical water tenders, through the Interagency Resource Ordering Capability system, which in turn puts the call out across Southern California. Crawford said that process takes much longer than relying on local resources. <\/p>\n Crews eventually learned that city water tanker trucks were available, and those were dispatched. But they\u2019re not operated by emergency personnel, so they need firefighting escorts to drive safely into the fire zone. That wasn\u2019t immediately available, according to the report. <\/p>\n An earler Times investigation<\/a> found that LAFD officials did not deploy any engines<\/a> to the Palisades before the flames erupted, despite warnings that extreme weather was coming. The fire officials also did not require firefighters to stay for an additional shift.<\/p>\n The report suggests that LAFD consider purchasing more tactical water tenders and train personnel from other city departments to operate tankers so they can more quickly and safely get into a fire area. <\/p>\n Crawford argued that if officials had prepared appropriately before fire broke out and the winds became extreme, firefighters could have learned earlier about the empty Santa Ynez Reservoir and readied resources ahead of time. <\/p>\n \u201cThey could strategically place water tenders nearby, and they wouldn\u2019t have the situation that created them running out of water, which exacerbated the response to the fire,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Crawford said the agency also could have moved \u201cpumpkin\u201d storage tanks into places where the natural supply might be low.<\/p>\n LAFD has two water tanker trucks that are usually kept at fire stations in Sun Valley and Sherman Oaks. <\/p>\n It is not clear when these were deployed to the Palisades. LAFD did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Friday. <\/p>\n The LAFD report also highlights some crews\u2019 use of people\u2019s backyard pools, calling it \u201chighly effective\u201d in protecting homes. Personnel should be trained on how to get water from alternative sources like this, particularly when hydrants aren\u2019t working, the report states. <\/p>\n \u201cMultiple pools remained filled following the containment of the Palisades fire,\u201d the report states. \u201cAlthough this tactic may not have saved every residence, it would have significantly improved the situation within the affected area.\u201d <\/p>\n Federal prosecutors this week charged Jonathan Rinderknecht<\/a>, 29, with intentionally starting a fire in the Palisades on Jan. 1. Embers from that blaze, called the Lachman fire, continued to smolder for days underground<\/a> before being released amid hurricane-force winds, becoming the Palisades fire. <\/p>\n It killed 12 people and destroyed 6,800 structures, revealing the limitations of Southern California\u2019s urban water systems, which are designed to fight house fires, not wildfires that rage through entire neighborhoods. <\/p>\n The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said in a July report<\/a> that the Palisades fire\u2019s swift spread \u201cled to extraordinary demands\u201d on a part of the system called the Westgate Trunk Line, as firefighters used water and residents left sprinklers and hoses running. In addition, as homes burned, damaged pipes gushed water, contributing to the rapid loss of pressure.<\/p>\n For a while, water continued to flow down from three storage tanks, but they soon ran out<\/a>. DWP now faces lawsuits filed by hundreds of homeowners<\/a>, who argue the utility failed to prepare for and respond to the fire.<\/p>\n DWP has said its crews and water system were prepared for emergency situations, but that \u201cno urban water system is designed to combat a massive, wind-driven wildfire of the speed and scale\u201d of the Palisades fire. In a written statement<\/a> earlier this year, DWP said the water system in the Pacific Palisades \u201cmet and continues to meet all fire codes for urban development and housing and was built to exceed those standards.\u201d<\/p>\n The department said it\u2019s necessary and normal to take reservoirs offline for repairs, and it\u2019s also crucial for maintaining safe drinking water standards.<\/p>\n