A reservoir that could've helped fire crews fight the Palisades Fire was out of use when the fire began destroying Los Angeles County.
The Santa Ynez reservoir had been closed for repairs to its cover, and was empty of its usual 17 million gallons of water.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, in a statement, ordered an investigation into the lack of water, said that Californians "need answers to what happened," and called the issue "deeply disturbing."
NEW: I am calling for an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure to local fire hydrants and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 10, 2025
We need answers to ensure this does not happen again and we have every resource available to… pic.twitter.com/R0vq0wwZph
