As LA burns, criticisms and questions about response arise

Published January 11, 2025
Debris from burned properties following the Palisades Fire, January 10. — Reuters
Debris from burned properties following the Palisades Fire, January 10. — Reuters

The speed and intensity of the blazes ravaging Los Angeles this week have put its firefighting infrastructure to the test — and given rise to questions and criticism surrounding preparedness.

Hydrants ran dry in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood as it was ravaged by one of the region’s five separate fires, while water shortages additionally hampered efforts elsewhere.

 Fire engulfs a building in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, January 8. — Reuters
Fire engulfs a building in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, January 8. — Reuters

“We need answers to how that happened,” California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote in a letter to the heads of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Los Angeles County Public Works.

Calling the lack of water and water pressure “deeply troubling,” Newsom directed state officials to prepare an independent report on the causes.

Chris Sheach, assistant professor of disaster management at Paul Smith’s College in New York state, told AFP part of the problem is that the city’s fire-fighting infrastructure wasn’t designed for enormous multi-acre conflagrations.

“Their system is built to fight individual house fires,” he said, or for “responding to commercial or residential structure fires.”

The amount of water used for one building compared to the amount needed to squelch a fire burning across thousands of acres is quite different, he added.

 Debris covers the ground of a burnt houses in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, January 9. — Reuters
Debris covers the ground of a burnt houses in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, January 9. — Reuters

Resources needed

Early firefighting efforts created four times the normal demand for water over approximately 15 hours, Janisse Quinones, CEO and chief engineer at the city’s water department, told the New York Times.

Apart from that, Los Angeles fire chief Kristin Crowley has said her city is hampered by a lack of resources.

“I have, over the past three years, been clear that the fire department needs help. We can no longer sustain where we are,” she told CNN on Friday, explaining the necessity for more staff, resources and funding.

She said this included the need for 62 new fire stations amid a 55 per cent increase in call volume since 2010.

US president-elect Donald Trump, who returns to the White House in just over a week, has seized upon the drama to attack Democrats, launching a series of evidence-free broadsides accusing Governor Newsom of a variety of failings.

He has even tried to blame a lack of water on environmentalists’ efforts to protect the smelt — a small fish that lives hundreds of miles away from the fires.

‘Risk-reward decision’

“The fact that we have such a low number of fatalities despite the massive property losses is a testament to the work of fire chiefs and government officials who have been timely,” Sheach, the professor, said.

 A satellite image shows houses in Pacific Palisades in the aftermath of the Palisades fire, January 9. — Reuters
A satellite image shows houses in Pacific Palisades in the aftermath of the Palisades fire, January 9. — Reuters

The fires have so far destroyed around 10,000 buildings, California’s fire agency reported, while the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office has put the death toll at 11.

California firefighters “are some of the best firefighters in the world.

They do this so often,“ Sheach said, adding that they were better trained than in most other localities because “it’s their reality.” How can a city like Los Angeles be better prepared in the future? And would it mean hiring more firefighters or increasing water supply?

“Those are decisions that politicians have to work with with their community because what’s right for each community is going to be up to how much they’re willing to pay,” Sheach said.

Decreasing risk means spending more money, he explained, calling the situation a giant “risk-reward decision.”

Opinion

From hard to harder

From hard to harder

Instead of ‘hard state’ turning even harder, citizens deserve a state that goes soft on them in delivering democratic and development aspirations.

Editorial

Canal unrest
Updated 03 Apr, 2025

Canal unrest

With rising water scarcity in Indus system, it is crucial to move towards a consensus-driven policymaking process.
Iran-US tension
03 Apr, 2025

Iran-US tension

THE Trump administration’s threats aimed at Iran do not bode well for global peace, and unless Washington changes...
Flights to history
03 Apr, 2025

Flights to history

MOHENJODARO could have been the forgotten gold we desperately need. Instead, this 5,000-year-old well of antiquity ...
Eid amidst crises
Updated 31 Mar, 2025

Eid amidst crises

Until the Muslim world takes practical steps to end these atrocities, these besieged populations will see no joy.
Women’s rights
Updated 01 Apr, 2025

Women’s rights

Such judgements, and others directly impacting women’s rights should be given more airtime in media.
Not helping
Updated 02 Apr, 2025

Not helping

If it's committed to peace in Balochistan, the state must draw a line between militancy and legitimate protest.