Los Angeles is currently being ravaged by six major fires, with critics slamming the government for putting the lives, homes, and businesses of the people at risk.
Sam Digiovanna, director of the Verdugo Fire Academy and former Monrovia Fire Department chief in Los Angeles County, told reporters that thousands of firefighters are working tirelessly to “prevent the spread of the flames” and “set up containment lines around the fires.”
“Our top priority is to save lives, which often means evacuating crowds and ensuring people safely leave,” he said. Firefighters are most concerned about multiple wildfires erupting simultaneously, which is the current dilemma facing Greater Los Angeles.
Since Tuesday, the Los Angeles area has been hit by wildfires and hurricanes simultaneously, with several active wildfires already claiming at least 11 lives. As of 3:30 p.m. on the 10th, the Pacific Palisades fire in the wealthy area of Los Angeles has consumed 21,317 acres of land, threatening 11,471 buildings, with a containment rate of 8%.
The Eaton Fire burning near predominantly Chinese-populated cities in the San Gabriel Valley has scorched 13,690 acres of land, destroyed 5,000 homes, and has a containment rate of 3%. Meanwhile, wildfires are also raging near areas like Hollywood Hills.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stated at a press conference that her office is doing everything possible to respond to the emergency and secure assistance from the state and federal levels.
On the other hand, questions are being raised as to why the fires are so intense and difficult to control. What are the factors contributing to this tragedy?
With a large number of fire trucks battling the blazes, the gravity-fed supply system’s fire hydrant tanks have been depleted, causing water pressure in some areas to be insufficient to extinguish the fires.
“Unfortunately, due to many fire trucks tapping into the hydrants, we quickly ran out of water,” Digiovanna said. “Our water supply system is inadequate, so sometimes firefighters may encounter very low water pressure when fighting fires.”
He mentioned that the fire trucks are equipped to draw water from lakes and swimming pools, and they are also mobilizing more firefighters and equipment from other counties and states to battle the Los Angeles fires.
Even with thousands of fire trucks deployed to fight the fires, Digiovanna noted that these forces are not enough to protect the many residences at risk, and due to strong winds, firefighting personnel are unable to deploy helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for fire suppression.
Just the fires in Palisades and Eaton directly threaten nearly 50,000 buildings. “This surpasses the capabilities of Southern California and Los Angeles in handling fires,” he said.
Many believe that there should be prompt clearing of dry brush around homes on hillsides, but Digiovanna pointed out that individuals cannot undertake this task themselves.
“You can’t just go up into the forests on the mountainside and clear the brush,” he said. “But we can, we’ve conducted controlled burns in the past, which in itself is a daunting task requiring a lot of resources and perfect weather conditions to safely carry out. But often our clearance efforts are hindered by environmental issues, wildlife, or smoke generated from burning.”
Dr. Houman Hemmati, forcibly evacuated during the wildfires, resides in Santa Monica on the border of the high-risk area near Pacific Palisades. “The house is under threat but has not been completely destroyed yet.”
Hemmati, a frequent medical and political commentator on Fox News programs, attributes the losses from the fires to state and local government.
“These wildfires are not unexpected disasters but something that could have been predicted well in advance, and the government could absolutely have known that such large fires would occur at some point,” he explained. “They (the government and relevant departments) knew several days ago that Southern California would face high winds, posing a significant fire risk.”
Despite a recent fire in Malibu, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass chose to attend a political figure’s inauguration in Ghana, while Governor Newsom was busy holding a press conference on high-speed rail, delaying the redeployment of disaster relief resources.
“I am very dissatisfied with them and the entire government system; they definitely shirked their duties… because they knew that wildfires were likely to occur but chose to focus their attention on many other things,” Hemmati argued. “This is not leadership; this is abandoning the people.”
Meanwhile, some critics express concern over the Los Angeles City Council’s decision to cut $17.6 million from the fire department budget.
According to the New York Post, the fire department budget reduction was the second largest in the mayor’s 2024-25 fiscal year budget for Los Angeles, with Bass initially proposing a $23 million budget cut for the fire department.
Hemmati is concerned that his tax money is not fully allocated to fire resources. “Our state and local governments are incompetent; they prioritize homelessness and woke issues over public safety. This situation must change as it is destroying communities and ruining people’s lives.”
He mentioned that the city government is spending billions constructing new homes for the homeless and renting hotel rooms, money that should have been used for fire prevention and mitigation.
Rick Caruso, a billionaire real estate developer who competed against Bass for Los Angeles mayor in the last election, also holds the local government responsible for all the losses.
“I watched helplessly as nearby small businesses vanished. These are people’s livelihoods; it’s a devastating blow,” he said. “But what really concerns me is that emergency personnel and firefighters are battling the blaze, yet Pacific Palisades has no water, and the fire hydrants are dry. This is definitely due to poor city management.”
“As our city burns, the mayor is absent, and there aren’t enough resources to put out the fires,” he added. “This feels like a disaster waiting to happen… We can rebuild, but most people in this community will find it hard to rebuild their lives.”
Reporters from The Epoch Times have reached out to the mayor’s office for comments.
After a series of wildfires, Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency and announced that California has received a wildfire management assistance grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Bass has posted multiple updates on social media, stating that the city is working to control the fires and streamline evacuation procedures. She also mentioned that city street services personnel are “ready to quickly respond to service requests during the storm period.” Earlier on Thursday, the Los Angeles Fire Department stated that “helicopters have resumed water drops, and hundreds of firefighters continue to assist in extinguishing” the wildfires.