Multiple large wildfires in Los Angeles caused a significant portion of the city's fire hydrants to run dry due to unprecedented high water demand, exceeding the capacity of the existing water system. This shortage was exacerbated by factors including power outages impacting pumping systems, high winds hindering aerial water drops, and a large, out-of-service reservoir. While some blamed California's environmental policies, experts attributed the problem to a combination of factors involving the system's design and the scale of the fires. The incident has prompted calls for investigations and a reassessment of water infrastructure preparedness for future large-scale wildfires.