Former NASCAR star Danica Patrick wondered why water was an issue for firefighters and first responders who were called upon to battle the raging California wildfires this week.
Several wildfires popped up across the Los Angeles area on Tuesday and through Wednesday, which were fueled by the high winds that plagued the region. The widespread flames immediately put a strain on the water system in the city, according to FOX Weather.
A firefighter works as the Palisades Fire burns a house in the hill next to the Getty Villa on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, California. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) CEO and Chief Engineer Janisse Quiñones said Wednesday teams have struggled to maintain water pressure on the system, which allows water to be pushed into fire hydrants used by firefighters.
“The strain that this fire has put on the water system and the hydrants, they’re just not designed for that type of usage all at once for 15 hours straight,” Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain Sheila Kelliher Berkoh told FOX Weather.
Patrick appeared to be befuddled.
NFL ANNOUNCES CONTINGENCY PLAN IF SOFI STADIUM CAN’T BE USED FOR RAMS-VIKINGS PLAYOFF GAME DUE TO WILDFIRES
Danica Patrick during the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 27, 2018. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
“California has 840 miles of coast line and 3,000 lakes and reservoirs. Why don’t they have enough water to fix any and all fires?” she wrote on X.
“At some point I have to imagine it’s getting difficult for hardcore cali lovers to accept the state of their state and how it’s managed.”
She then wrote that it would be time for Gov. Gavin Newsom to resign, only using the term “Newscum” as President-elect Donald Trump has done in his jabs toward the California leader.
By Wednesday night, another fire had broken out in the Hollywood Hills near the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Sheila Kelliher described the scorched hillsides as “dramatic and apocalyptic” in an interview with Fox News.
A house burns in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)
Kelliher said she watched winds “whip up to 70, 80, even 100 miles an hour,” further fanning the flames.”
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
