As fires near Los Angeles remain uncontained and could intensify due to strong winds, a municipal utility has been sued for potential mismanagement before the natural disaster. Residents of Pacific Palisades criticize the company for not filling a reservoir in the area, which has a capacity of nearly 450 million liters but was dry when the fires began a week ago.
This should not have happened, the lawsuit claims, and residents believe the fire’s impact could have been minimized without this negligence. California Governor Newsom called for an investigation into the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the largest municipal utility in the U.S., which has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
At least eight people have died in the Pacific Palisades fires, with damages reaching billions. The total death toll stands at 24.
Newsom wants affected areas to be rebuilt quickly, referencing a Marshall Plan-like effort, which he believes will take years and cost tens of billions. Authorities are still battling the disaster, with strong winds expected to worsen the situation, prompting the deployment of 300 additional firefighters.
Currently, 15,000 emergency responders are working to control the fires.
Source: NOS