L.A. officials admit firefighters were overwhelmed and outgunned by deadly firestorms
LA TimesSamuel Girma braves the heat of a burning house as he tries to prevent the fire’s spread. Local fire officials acknowledged Wednesday that they were overwhelmed by the power and size of the three major fires burning in Los Angeles County and that crews and resources were taxed to the extreme. Firefighters were heard on emergency radios requesting additional support and crews, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone acknowledged Wednesday, admitting there was simply not enough manpower for an emergency of this size. But no, we don’t have enough fire personnel in L.A. County between all the departments to handle this.” There are 9,000 firefighters in Los Angeles County between the county’s fire department and 29 other fire agencies, Marrone said, which is “not enough” to address all the fires that had started across the region during one of the strongest wind events in years. Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley agreed, adding: “Together, these fires are stretching the capacity of emergency services to their maximum limits.” On Wednesday, the roughly 1,500 firefighters assigned to the Eaton and Palisades fires were bracing for another challenging day of fire fueled by extreme winds.