Furious residents in the Pacific Palisades have filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, citing a lack of preparedness for the wildfires which has burned through thousands of homes in the city.
According to ABC News, the lawsuit was filed Monday in the California Superior Court and is seeking damages for the cost of repairs and replacement of damaged homes and businesses that perished in the fires. The suit further seeks to recoup lost wages, the cost of alternate living expenses, and any other profits or losses to business as a result of the wildfires.
“Plaintiffs are informed and believe that the water supply system servicing areas in and around Pacific Palisades on the date of the Palisades Fire failed, and that this failure was a substantial factor in causing plaintiffs to suffer the losses alleged,” the complaint said.
Residents in the lawsuit are alleging the city department ignored warnings from the National Weather Service, leaving the city unprepared to put out the fires.
“Further, despite dire warnings by the National Weather Service of a ‘Particularly Dangerous Condition — Red Flag Warning’ of ‘critical fire weather’ which had the potential for rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior, the LADWP was unprepared for the Palisades Fire,” the complaint said.
USA Today further reported the complaint notes the LADWP — the largest municipal utility in the U.S. — failed to maintain the nearby Santa Ynez Reservoir, which is able to hold 117 million gallons of water, but has been dry since February 2024. The complaint further alleged the utility had not carried out maintenance and repairs on the water resource to cut costs.
“Had the LADWP acted responsibly, the damage caused by the Palisades Fire could have been greatly reduced,” the complaint said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced on Friday, that he will be launching an independent investigation into the systems failings.
“I am calling for an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure to local fire hydrants and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir. We need answers to ensure this does not happen again and we have every resource available to fight these catastrophic fires,” Newsom wrote on X.
