LOS ANGELES — As the fires spread in California, so are a lot of very alarming claims. Here is a look at some facts and fiction going around about the Los Angeles fires.
Does this catastrophe come on the feels of Los Angeles cutting its budget for the fire department?
According to NBC Los Angeles, this is a fact.
Our partners there report that Mayor Karen Bass, last year, approved a cut of nearly 18 million dollars to the budget, but notes some of that was absorbed by leaving administrative jobs at the fire department unfilled.
7 million dollars of it, however, was embarked for training, fire prevention and other key functions.
NBC reports the fire chief warned, weeks before the wildfires broke out, that the decision would impact the department’s ability to prepare for large-scale emergencies.
Claim: Home insurers recently stopped writing policies in the regions affected in recent years
The claim that home insurers recently stopped writing policies in the regions affected in recent years is, at least for some homeowners, a fact.
According to NBC News, State Farm - the largest home insurer in California - announced in March that it would stop renewing coverage in Pacific Palisades. 30,000 policyholders were dropped in areas the company deemed as presenting the most substantial wildfire or earthquake risks.
The Washington Post reports that private insurers, for years, have been scaling back coverage in that state. The only option for many had become the fair access to insurance requirements plan - a state-mandated association that companies in California contribute to.
Claim: Arson is behind the devastating fire
Certain celebrities have gone viral for claiming an arsonist has set the wildfires - and while it’s possible that could be the cause - the final decision is yet to be determined. Investigators have not yet pinpointed the cause of these growing fires. Forbes reports Los Angeles police had arrested a man who was allegedly spotted trying to light a fire in the city’s Woodland Hills area but they could not confirm a connection between that person and the uncontained blaze.
Claim: Hydrants have run dry amid the fight
The LA Times reports that firefighters have been faced with low water pressure and fire hydrants that have repeatedly gone dry. The water system that supplies neighborhoods simply does not have the capacity to deliver such large volumes of water over several hours. In addition, a large reservoir in Pacific Palisades that is part of the LA Water Supply System was out of use when the wildfires broke out.
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