California water supply crucial for LA wildfire response allowed to run dry months before infernos: lawsuit
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Over a dozen victims of the Pacific Palisades Fire are suing a Los Angeles public utility company for “failures” they say contributed to the fire’s devastation. 

The lawsuit, filed last week on behalf of community residents and a pizzeria owner, accused the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power of being unprepared for the Palisades Fire and allowing a critical water supply to remain dry before the inferno that lawyers said was “the worst natural disaster in the history of the City of Los Angeles,” according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. 

“The water supply system servicing Pacific Palisades failed miserably, leaving residents and firefighters with little to no water to fight the blaze,” Roger Behle, an attorney representing one of the Palisades Fire survivors and whose own family lost their home to wildfire in 2020, said in a statement.

Firefighters monitor the advance of the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon

Firefighters monitor the advance of the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles.  (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

The residents of the Pacific Palisades are suing the public utility company for property damage and personal injuries suffered.

“The Palisades Fire has been a traumatic event for its victims, who through no fault of their own, went from homeowners to homeless in a matter of hours,” lawyers wrote, adding that the fire has killed at least eight people, caused injuries to many civilians and firefighters and destroyed at least 5,300 homes and businesses in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Topanga Canyon. 

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Newsom’s office did not immediately respond for comment. 

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