Los Angeles fires: Saltwater used to combat flames comes with immediate benefits but long-term risks

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Firefighter plane scoops ocean water to battle Southern California wildfires

Experts say saltwater isn’t a fire department’s first choice, but it is sometimes necessary to battle out-of-control flames. (Daniel Sparks via Storyful)

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As multiple wildfires burn in Southern California, including the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, authorities have made the rare move of scooping up ocean water to help battle the flames.

Saltwater can damage equipment, infrastructure and wildlife — but sometimes firefighters need to use it anyway, according to Frank Papalia, a former New York City Fire Department lieutenant and a fire safety expert at Global Security Group.

“When someone falls down, gets hurt, possibly broke their neck or something like that, you don’t move them. [But] if there’s a fire around them, or there are chemicals around them and stuff, they’re gonna die. So you have to move them — you have no choice,” he told Fox News Digital.

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A house is seen on fire as residents try to escape the site in Pacific Palisades, California, on Tuesday. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The main way to use saltwater to fight fires is to draw it out of the ocean with a plane or helicopter and dump it from above, he said.

That’s already being done in Southern California, where large wildfires have been burning out of control, video shows. But one plane was taken out of service already after someone flew a drone into its wing. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, and a spokesperson told Fox News Digital that interfering with firefighters is a federal crime punishable by up to a year in prison and a $75,000 fine.

Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire as it burns multiple structures in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

While saltwater can damage infrastructure, kill wildlife and have other consequences, sometimes it’s a necessary trade-off, Papalia said.

“In this case, your city is burning to the ground, so using the saltwater is not that bad,” he told Fox News Digital. “The problem is they are limited to how many aircraft they can fly at one time, how far they have to go, and how much water those can hold. You couldn’t fly yesterday because of the wind.”

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A Super Scooper plane drops water on the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on Tuesday. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Current fire hydrants don’t use saltwater for several reasons. They use the same pipes supplying fresh tap water to homes and businesses. They are not corrosion-resistant. And the cost of installing a new saltwater hydrant system connected to ocean pumps “would be ridiculous,” Papalia said. 

Fire hydrants also rely on pressure, which is lost with each hydrant open at the same time.

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But the firetrucks themselves can use saltwater — they just have to be close enough to get it and require thorough cleaning afterward. 

“We have them at JFK,” Papalia said about the airport in New York City. “We pump the water out of Jamaica Bay. If you’re gonna do that at the beach, how are you gonna get the firetruck into the sand?”

The Eaton Fire burns a vehicle in Altadena, California, on Wednesday. (Ethan Swope/AP)

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At least 10 people have died in the fires across Southern California, according to authorities, and Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said he expects the death toll to rise. More than 130,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said the state was sending more than 7,500 firefighters and support personnel to assist Los Angeles as fires continue to rage.

A firefighter battles flames from the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Wednesday. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Neighboring states, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and New Mexico, have also sent firefighting assets.

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“There’s no question this is gonna be one of the worst fires in the history of the world,” Papalia said.

Related Topics

• Wildfire
• US Fires
• California
• Los Angeles
• Disasters