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More than 30,000 residents have been forced to evacuate their homes as multiple out-of-control wildfires rage across Los Angeles fueled by 100-mph “hurricane force” winds.
LA Department of Water and Power CEO Janisse Quiñones is asking residents to conserve water as firefighters struggle to contain the blazes.
“I need our customers to really conserve water. The fire department needs the water to fight the wildfires,” Quiñones said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Quiñones says all three of LA DWP’s 1 million gallon water tanks ran out of water.
“We pushed the system to the extreme,” Quiñones said. “Four times the normal demand was seen for 15 hours straight, which lowered our water pressure.”
‘I need our customers to really conserve water. The fire department needs the water to fight the wildfires.’
Janisse Quiñones from the LA Department of Water and Power speaks in response to the California wildfires
Live updates: https://t.co/5hOHHmZkia
📺 Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/48gwhkexyX
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 8, 2025
The White House confirmed that federal aid is on the way. The New York Post reports that the US Forest Service provided Air Tankers, 10 federal firefighting helicopters, and local firefighters and dozens of US forest service fire engines.
“The President reiterates his call for residents to remain vigilant and heed the warnings of local officials,” The White House said.
President-elect Donald Trump posted on TRUTH Social, blasting California Governor Gavin Newsom for not caring about the safety of his constituents.
From Trump’s TRUTH Social:
Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way. He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who is out of the country in Ghana, recently cut fire department spending by more than $17 million dollars.
LA Mayor Karen Bass cut $17.6 million in funding from the Fire Dept. She’s in Africa on a taxpayer funded trip and has a DEI hire running the Fire Dept.
Meanwhile her city is burning to the ground. pic.twitter.com/EJBVkdgCP0
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 8, 2025
Critics on X blamed Bass — and her budget cuts — for the difficulty getting the fires under control.
“Karen Bass cut the Fire Department budget by 418 million. Now she’s asking for volunteers to fight a fire. All awhile, she’s on vacation in Ghana. Lmao,” one person griped on X.
“Oh look, Karen Bass’ budget called for the elimination of LA’s Emergency Management Department’s positions (the dept that’s running the show). This is after she cut the Fire Department by nearly $17M,” another user tweeted.
More posts from X below:
Rick Caruso, billionaire real estate developer, called into LA local news:
“This is like a third world country… there is no water coming out of the fire hydrants. LA Mayor Karen Bass is on a foreign trip to Ghana.”pic.twitter.com/iOjXPkWcko
— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) January 8, 2025
We were blessed to have LA fire and police depts doing their jobs so well. We are safe and out. There are several elementary schools in our neighborhood and there was an enormous community effort to evacuate the children safely. Can not speak more highly of the LA fire and LAPD. pic.twitter.com/bdsSJmvQel
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) January 7, 2025
Early this morning, the LA County Fire Department said that there was 0% containment of the Palisades Fire.
Up to 80,000 people in the area have been told to evacuate. Rapid winds spread the Palisades Fire (3,000 acres), Hurst Fire (1,000 acres), and Eaton Fire (500 acres). pic.twitter.com/O7Ryb6PO9z
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) January 8, 2025
🚨 REPORT: Just before devastating wildfires broke out in the Los Angeles area, the Democratic LA Mayor – Karen Bass – SLASHED fire department funding by $17.6 million.
This is dereliction.
It was the “second-largest cut” to come out of Bass’ ’24-25 budget, the New York Post… pic.twitter.com/YTZf5Hrhfi
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 8, 2025
More over at The New York Post:
LA Mayor Karen Bass cut fire department funding by $17.6M — months before wildfires turned city into hellscape https://t.co/fzvuJSYxY4 pic.twitter.com/IWOF1VfbaB
— New York Post (@nypost) January 8, 2025