Former NASCAR star Danica Patrick questions water issues plaguing firefighters battling Los Angeles wildfires
Former NASCAR star Danica Patrik wondered why water is a problem for firefighters and emergency responders called to battle wildfires in California this week.
Several wildfires broke out in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday and into Wednesday, fueled by strong winds that swept through the region. The spreading flames immediately put a strain on the city’s water supply system, it said FOX Weather.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS REPORTS ON FOXNEWS.COM
A firefighter works as the Palisades Fire burns a house on a hill next to Getty Villa on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, California. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) executive director and chief engineer Janisse Quiñones said Wednesday that crews were struggling to maintain water pressure in the system, which allows water to be pushed into fire hydrants used by firefighters.
“The strain that this fire put on the water system and the hydrants, they’re just not designed for that kind of use all at once for 15 hours straight,” Los Angeles County Fire Captain Sheila Kelliher Berkoh told FOX Weather.
Patrick seemed confused.
Danica Patrick during the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 27, 2018 in Indianapolis. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
“California has 840 miles of coastline and 3,000 lakes and reservoirs. Why don’t they have enough water to fix all the fires?” she wrote on X.
“At some point I have to imagine it becomes difficult for die-hard Cali fans to accept the state of their country and the way it is run.”
She then wrote that it would be time for Gov. Gavin Newsom to resign, only using the term “Newsum” as President-elect Donald Trump has done in his attacks on the California leader.
Until Wednesday night, one more a fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills near the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Sheila Kelliher described the burned hillsides as “dramatic and apocalyptic” in an interview with Fox News.
A house burns in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Kelliher said she watched as the winds “whipped up to 70, 80, even 100 miles per hour,” further fanning the fire.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports transmission on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
