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Newsom responds to criticism of wildfire response
Gavin Newsom responds to the widespread criticism of the California Governor's
LOS ANGELES - California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for an investigation into issues with Los Angeles County's water supply after firefighters battling the Palisades Fire earlier this week struggled to get water from local fire hydrants.
The Palisades Fire has burned tens of thousands of acres in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, destroyed thousands of structures, and displaced thousands more. The fire broke out on Jan. 7, as hurricane-force winds helped the flames quickly get out of control. The Palisades Fire is one of more than half a dozen fires that have broken out across the region throughout the week.
Firefighters struggled to put out the flames on Tuesday, with air resources grounded due to the high winds. However, firefighters on the ground also reported a lack of water pressure from local hydrants, with videos of firefighters using things like purses filled with water to put out flames.
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According to a report from the LA Times on Friday, the Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117 million-gallon reservoir in the Pacific Palisades, was closed for repairs when the fire broke out, depriving crews of a vital water resource.
Newsom ordered an independent investigation of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power on Friday over the water situation.
"The ongoing reports of the loss of water pressure to some local fire hydrants during the fires and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir are deeply troubling to me and to the community," Newsom wrote in a letter to the CEO of the LADWP and the Director of LA County Public Works. "While water supplies from local fire hydrants are not designed to extinguish wildfires over large areas, losing supplies from fire hydrants likely impaired the effort to protect some homes and evacuation corridors. We need answers to how that happened."
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LAFD Chief slams budget cuts, says department was let down
As California's wildfires continue to spread, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley criticized the city's decision to cut mor than $17 million in funding for the department, and says that the city let her and her firefighters down.
In an interview with FOX 11 Friday, LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley said that she felt the city had failed her department and the city because of their preparations leading up to this week's fires, including a $17.6 million budget cut that went into effect months ago.
Crowley also told FOX 11 that the LAFD was not made aware that the reservoir was closed ahead of the firefight.
"That is something to discuss, and we're going to look into that in regard to how we can ensure there's going to be water when we need it," Crowley said. "…I can guarantee you that when our firefighters showed up on that day with what they had, they did absolutely everything they could do to rescue and to save people's lives and property."