… Officials now say the storage tanks that hold water for high-elevation areas like the Highlands, and the pumping systems that feed them, could not keep pace with the demand as the fire raced from one neighborhood to another. That was in part because those who designed the system did not account for the stunning speeds at which multiple fires would race through the Los Angeles area this week. … Municipal water systems are designed for firefighters to tap into multiple hydrants at once, allowing them to maintain a steady flow of water for crews who may be trying to protect a large structure or a handful of homes. But these systems can buckle when wildfires, such as those fueled by the dry brush that surrounds Los Angeles’s hillside communities, rage through entire neighborhoods.

Related articles:

• SJV Water: Are the Resnicks “hoarding” water while LA burns? No
• Sacramento News & Review: Falsely blaming the LA wildfires on Delta protection and the imperiled smelt is distorting the picture of water in California
• The New York Times: Once the fires are out, California must remove tons of dangerous debris
• Reuters: Los Angeles utility sued over Palisades Fire water shortage, court filing shows
• The New Yorker: How did the Los Angeles Fires get so out of control
• Associated Press: Contaminated drinking water is a growing concern for cities facing wildfires