Los Angeles utility sued over Palisades Fire water shortage, court filing shows

A lawsuit filed against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power on Monday accuses the public utility of failing to properly manage water supplies critical to fighting the deadly Palisades Fire, a court filing showed.

The complaint, filed on behalf of residents and others affected by the historic blaze that destroyed the wealthy Los Angeles community of Pacific Palisades last week, says LADWP should have maintained water in a nearby reservoir, which was dry at the time the flames erupted.

“The water supply system servicing Pacific Palisades failed miserably, leaving residents and firefighters with little to no water to fight the blaze,” Roger Behle, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys said in a statement.

The LADWP, which is the largest US municipal utility, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment outside of regular business hours.

The Santa Ynez Reservoir, which can hold as much 117 million gallons (443 million liters) of water, had been empty since February 2024, the lawsuit said. The complaint, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by law firm Robertson & Associates and Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis, claimed LADWP delayed repair work on the water resource to cut costs.

The Palisades Fire, which has killed at least eight people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, has burned more than 23,700 acres (96 square km) and continued to threaten neighborhoods as of late Monday.

Officials have not released a cause for the fire.

Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday called for an investigation into reports that firefighters struggled to get enough water, and water pressure, to battle the inferno.

LADWP said earlier it appreciated the investigation and would conduct its own review of the incident.

"As we face the impacts of climate change and build climate resilience, we welcome a review and update of these codes and requirements if city water systems will be used to fight extreme wildfires," LADWP spokesperson Ellen Cheng said on Monday, before the lawsuit was filed.

LADWP CEO Janisse Quinones last week said the demand to fight water at lower elevations was impeding the ability of the city to refill water tanks at higher elevations. LADWP said it had filled all available water tanks in the city ahead of the windstorm that perpetuated the rapid spread of the fires.

Three water storage tanks were exhausted within a day of the fires starting, Quinones said last week in a press briefing.

The suit follows other legal actions in connection with the California wildfires, which have been linked to the deaths of at least two dozen people and have burned tens of thousands of acres across Los Angeles in what is expected to be the most costly natural disaster in American history.

A group of residents and business owners also recently sued Southern California Edison over the Eaton Fire, which is still raging near Pasadena.