The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has hired a top law firm to defend itself against lawsuits by residents who blame it for the spread of the Palisades Fire — especially as the Santa Ynez Reservoir was almost empty.
As Breitbart News noted, the 117-million-gallon reservoir was down for maintenance during last month’s fire, despite many warnings about dry conditions and large amounts of brush that would act as fuel to accelerate any wildfire.
Though the LADWP did take some preventative measures, such as cutting the grass on land it owns in residential areas, many residents fault it for the lack of water that prevented firefighters from responding adequately to the blaze.
Now, the Los Angeles Times reports, the LADWP has retained a top local law firm at nearly $2,000 per hour to defend itself against anticipated lawsuits in court.
As Breitbart News reported last month, several notable residents, including reality television stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, have filed suit against the LADWP, blaming it for the spread of the wildfire to their homes.
Thousands of homes were destroyed in the Palisades Fire, which scorched about 24,000 acres. On the east side of L.A. County, the Eaton fire burned through about 14,000 acres. There were shortages of water in both cases.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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