No ‘water system in the world’ could have handled the LA fires. How the region could have minimized the damage

Widespread destruction from the L.A. fires was inevitable, given the drought and winds. Still, the region could have been better prepared.

Even as flames in Southern California continued to carve a destructive path on Friday and fire officials sought to assess the damage and determine how the fires began, a larger question loomed: Could this level of devastation somehow have been minimized, or is this simply the new normal in an era of climate-related calamities? A CNN review of government reports and interviews with more than a dozen experts suggests the ultimate answer is a mix of both. Los Angeles city and county officials have characterized the fires as a “perfect storm” event in which hurricane-force gusts of up to 100 miles per hour prevented them from deploying crucial aircraft that could have dropped water and fire retardant on the drought-ravaged neighborhoods early on. The consensus of experts interviewed by CNN was that the combination of those winds, unseasonably dry conditions and multiple fires breaking out one after another in the same geographic region made widespread destruction inevitable. Nonetheless, humans could have taken some steps to potentially lessen the impact of Mother Nature’s wrath. Inconsistent vegetation management, aging infrastructure and homes, and a lack of planning likely contributed to fires that have so far scorched more than 55 square miles, destroyed thousands of structures and left at least 10 people dead. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass promised a full investigation. “Rest assured…we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, and what didn’t work, and to correct – or to hold accountable – anybody, department, individual, etcetera,” she said. Part of that investigation is certain to focus on a key ingredient in fighting fires: water.