In Los Angeles, water runs short as wildfires burn out of control

Peter Gleickamerican climatologist and hydrologist (1956-)

Those fights have been going on for a long time and they have not affected in any way water supply for firefighting in southern California,

Gleick said

We’re fighting a wildfire with urban water systems, and that is really challenging,

said Janisse Quiñones, CEO of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

I would ask that you turn off your water and turn off your gas, both things before you leave the residence so that we can continue to have that water supply for the hydrant system,

said Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles County Department of Public Works

Rick CarusolA real estate developer

You got thousands of homes destroyed, families destroyed, businesses destroyed. I think you can figure out a way to get more water in the hydrants. I don’t think there’s room for excuses here,

said Rick Caruso, a real estate developer and former commissioner with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, who came in second in the last Los Angeles mayors race

We get it done. We pre-position resources, we staff up reserve engines,

he said

It's not a matter of there's not enough water in Southern California, it's a matter of there's not enough water in that particular area of Southern California just for those few hours that you need it to fight the fires,

Lund added

There must be some things we can do to try to mitigate this. Please. Fire hydrants are empty. Firefighters are doing everything they can, but we need to do things more proactively before,

Chung, 57, told Reuters

A firefight with multiple fire hydrants drawing water from the system for several hours is unsustainable,

said Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles County Public Works

If everything catches fire at once, there's not going to be enough water for everybody,

he said

Rick CarusolA real estate developer

The firefighters are there [in the neighbourhood], and there’s nothing they can do.”

The Times reported Rick Caruso, a former commissioner for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, saying

The Los Angeles Aqueducts, local groundwater, and supplemental water purchased from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California are the primary sources of water supply for the City of Los Angeles,

the LA DWP website says

We had a tremendous demand on our system in the Palisades. We pushed the system to the extreme,

Quinones told the Los Angeles Times

That’s why air support is so critical to the firefight. And unfortunately, wind and air visibility have prevented that support,

Pestrella said

I need our customers to really conserve water, not just in the Palisades area, but the whole system, because the fire department needs the water to fight the fires,

Quinones said

We have three large water tanks, about a million gallons each,

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power chief executive Janisse Quinones told reporters

Because we're pushing the water system so hard, our water quality is decreasing. So we're going to be issuing a boil water notice this morning, and that will extend for about 48 hours,

she said

Water System crews are also responding to the Pacific Palisades area to ensure availability of water supplies to support firefighting efforts,

the department wrote

Rick CarusolA real estate developer

There’s no water in the fire hydrants,

Caruso told the Los Angeles Times