Jacob Margolis
covers science, with a focus on environmental stories and disasters, as well as investigations and accountability.
Published August 15, 2023 12:24 PM
Firefighters work on a fire near the historic Griffith Observatory on July 10, 2018.
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Topline:
Wildfires can destroy water infrastructure and leave fire hydrants running dry. With a bit of forward thinking, you can help prep your home and make sure that firefighters have access to water when they need it.
Who this is for: People with homes in wildfire-prone areas, particularly in more rural locations. Although extra water supplies can help with any fire.
What to prep: Firefighters can use their trucks to draw water from both pools and water tanks. Try and install a cistern greater than 2,500 gallons if you have the room.
When a wildfire tears through a town, it can wreak havoc on critical water supplies. Broken pipes and destroyed homes can hemorrhage water, lowering pressure within the system. Fire hydrants slow to a useless trickle, if any water comes out at all.
The aftermath of a firestorm that began in Napa Valley's Calistoga, destroying thousands of homes in the Coffey Park, Fountaingrove, Larkfield, and Mark West Estates neighborhoods, is viewed from this aerial photo taken over Coffey Park on Nov. 5, 2017.
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“We lost 3,000 homes in Fountain Grove and Coffey Park, and every house was just bleeding water. There's no water system that can maintain that,” said Tony Gossner, former fire chief for the city of Santa Rosa.
Listen
39:42
The Big Burn: The New Normal
I spoke with him last year about the hell that was the Tubbs Fire for my podcast The Big Burn.
You can help firefighters by providing backup water for them — but it can be expensive, it requires a whole lot of space and plenty of advance planning.
Water tanks and pools
Swimming pools and giant water tanks can be hugely helpful.
Cattle graze near a water tank at a ranch on June 08, 2021 in Tomales, California.
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In the case of a tank, make sure that it’s at least 2,500 gallons, and that it has a hookup for firefighting hoses. Different departments use different fittings, so call your local firehouse to find out which one will work with their equipment. According to L.A. County Fire, they use the national standard thread.
Firefighters can draw water from both tanks and swimming pools to fill up their trucks or directly fight fire, so if you have either, make sure that they're easily accessible in the case of an emergency. One way to do that is to leave your garage door open or your back gate unlocked as a fire approaches.
Listen
29:04
The Big Burn: The Advice Episode
“If you have a pool, it's great to put a marker on your curb right next to your address with a picture of a pool or ‘pool in rear,’” said Derek Bart, a retired L.A. County Fire captain who we spoke with for the advice episode of The Big Burn, where we tell you how to prepare for fire. “It gives us an opportunity when we roll into an area and say, ‘Oh, we got a pool here. We can draft out this pool,’ you know?”
During the Northridge Earthquake, when a gas line exploded and several houses caught on fire, the nearby hydrants lost pressure. Firefighters had to pull water from a nearby pool to save homes.
At night, a gas main on fire throws flames into the air after it broke and exploded destroying nearby homes following the Northridge earthquake, on Jan. 17, 1994.
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Hal Garb
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Make sure that the pool is free from debris like toys, which can get stuck in hose lines.
You can purchase powerful gas powered pumps to draw on your own water supplies as well.
“The power of these pumps is pretty remarkable,” said Garrett Clancy, chief of the Bell Canyon volunteer wildland fire department.
During the Woolsey Fire in 2018, hydrants in the Bell Canyon area lost pressure, he says. Since then, he's been encouraging people within the community to pick up their own pumps for use in case they find themselves in that situation again.
Employees of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe train lines pump water from an inflatable tank during the Dixie fire in Quincy, California on July 26, 2021.
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Josh Edelson
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AFP via Getty Images
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“It gives us an extra layer of confidence knowing that if we do run into some sort of water pressure issue we have a secondary plan we can go to immediately,” Clancy said.
In the event of a bad wildfire, there’s a good chance that the power could go out as well, so make sure you have backup power for whatever pump you’re running.
Most importantly, if evacuation orders are issued, leave immediately.
Sprinkler systems
Another home defense option that people sometimes turn to are sprinkler systems installed on the outside of their homes, meant to wet everything down and keep things from burning.
“There is a lot of debate about the super expensive fire defense systems that are like a fire sprinkler system for the exterior of the house,” said Sheila Kelliher, a spokesperson for L.A. County Fire. “But in wind-driven fires with massive amounts of embers, they fall short of what they claim to do.”
If they’re connected to the municipal water supply, they can also lower pressure elsewhere within the system. If you’re going to install them on your home, it might be best if they’re drawing from alternative sources of water.
“These systems are not necessarily cheap or necessarily easy to maintain,” said retired Cal Fire chief David Shew, who now runs the consulting company Wildfire Defense Works.
“People put systems like this in and then they don’t maintain them as well as they should,” Shew said. “So when the fire hits, we’ll often find that the valve that turns the water on from the tank is basically frozen shut and we can’t turn it.”
Just because you have additional sources of water at your home, there’s no guarantee that firefighters will use them. Or that your house will fare better than any others.
“The likelihood is pretty high that your property and home is going to be on its own,” said Shew.
Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages celebrates after hitting a two run RIB-single during the seventh inning in Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.
Topline:
The Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Wednesday night to clinch their NL Division Series, as they seek to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series.
What happened: Andy Pages drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning to give Los Angeles the lead.
What's next: The Dodgers will face Milwaukee or San Diego in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday.
ATLANTA (AP) — Andy Pages drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning to give Los Angeles the lead, and the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Wednesday night to clinch their NL Division Series.
The Dodgers won back-to-back games in Atlanta to take the best-of-five matchup 3-1 and advance to the National League Championship Series as they seek to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series.
Pages lined a 3-2 pitch from Robert Suarez up the middle to drive in Teoscar Hernández, who singled off starter Tyler Mahle, and pinch-runner Tommy Edman for a 3-1 lead. Didier Fuentes walked pinch-hitter Josue De Paula and Kyle Tucker to load the bases. Edman ran for De Paula.
Max Muncy’s solo shot off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth padded the lead and gave the slugger 19 postseason homers with the Dodgers, extending his franchise record.
Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow, making his first start since Sept. 24, allowed only one hit but walked five batters in 4 2/3 innings. After he issued two walks in the fifth, left-hander Alex Vesia ended the inning on Matt Olson’s groundout to second base.
The missed opportunity left the Braves with 18 walks in the series, and none scored.
Glasnow and four relievers combined to give up just three hits. Tanner Scott pitched a perfect eighth before Edwin Díaz got three quick outs for the save.
Mahle, a native of Newport Beach, California, who grew up a Dodgers fan, allowed two runs — one earned — in 6 1/3 innings.
Michael Harris II hit Glasnow’s first pitch for a single before stealing second and eventually scoring from third on a wild pitch that bounced off catcher Will Smith’s chest protector.
The Dodgers pulled even in the second with the help of two Atlanta errors. Shohei Ohtani walked, stole second and advanced to third on catcher Sean Murphy’s errant throw into center field. Muncy’s pop fly into shallow left field was dropped by shortstop Mauricio Dubón for another error, allowing Ohtani to score.
Hernández crashed into the wall while attempting to catch Ozzie Albies’ double off Vesia leading off the sixth. Hernández pointed to his head and neck when talking to an athletic trainer but remained in the game.
Edgardo Henriquez stranded Albies at second. Henriquez allowed one hit in 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the win.
Injury report
Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas was held out after leaving Tuesday night’s 3-1 win during an at-bat in the eighth inning with lower back soreness. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said Rojas would not be available off the bench.
Ronald Acuña Jr. started in right field for Atlanta one day after being moved to designated hitter in a late lineup change due to right knee soreness.
Up next
The Dodgers will face Milwaukee or San Diego in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday.
Jordan Rynning
holds local government accountable, covering city halls, law enforcement and other powerful institutions.
Published October 7, 2026 3:49 PM
A pedestrian is walking past City Hall in Los Angeles on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Listen
0:39
LISTEN: LA joins other local governments that have banned nitrous oxide sales
Topline:
The L.A. City Council voted Wednesday to ban tobacco and cannabis shops from selling nitrous oxide, a drug often called laughing gas or whippits. The new city ordinance will add penalties that include up to a $1,000 fine or six months in county jail if approved by Mayor Karen Bass.
Why it matters: The FDA warns that inhaling or misusing nitrous oxide, which is sometimes used by dentists and medical doctors to sedate patients, can lead to serious health problems or death. Many community members say they have seen the drug’s recreational use become normalized. Among those who advocated for the City Council to approve the ban were several students from Bert Corona High School in Pacoima.
“ I want to grow up in a community that's drug-free, where we feel safe just walking around, where this isn't just accepted as a part of everyday life,” Mayra Rodriguez said during public comment at the City Council meeting. “We shouldn't have to grow up around this.”
Other laughing gas bans: Local governments have banned nitrous oxide in places like Rialto, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana and unincorporated areas of Orange County. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills last month that put statewide bans on nitrous oxide from being sold at retail locations, with added flavors or in containers larger than 8 grams.
More context: It has been a misdemeanor under state law to knowingly sell or possess nitrous oxide for use as a recreational drug for more than a decade, but the state allows it to be used for things like medical care, vehicle performance and cooking.
Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who introduced the motion that passed Wednesday, said the city ordinance will strengthen existing protections enacted by the state. She asked community members to report any cannabis or tobacco shops selling nitrous oxide to the City Attorney’s office at TEP@lacity.org.
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President Donald Trump speaks during an event on health care affordability in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday in Washington.
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Mark Schiefelbein
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AP
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Topline:
The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday sued President Donald Trump’s administration for recent television advertisements that promoted his political message while costing taxpayers millions of dollars. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that the ads are illegal government-sponsored propaganda and accuses Trump of personally directing them. It asks the court to declare the ads illegal and stop the use of federal funds to pay for them.
The backstory: The spots, which began airing in September, already have cost more than $12 million to run, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact, and a total of $20 million in Homeland Security Department funding has been tapped to pay for them. Responding Monday to the criticism, Trump defended the ads as “positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.” but said he’d pay for them using his MAGA Inc. super PAC going forward.
What's next: The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that the ads are illegal government-sponsored propaganda and accuses Trump of personally directing them. It asks the court to declare the ads illegal and stop the use of federal funds to pay for them. Trump has faced bipartisan backlash for the ads, which glorify him and echo his campaign pitch as voters cast early ballots with the midterm elections less than a month away.
The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday sued President Donald Trump’s administration for recent television advertisements that promoted his political message while costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that the ads are illegal government-sponsored propaganda and accuses Trump of personally directing them. It asks the court to declare the ads illegal and stop the use of federal funds to pay for them.
Trump has faced bipartisan backlash for the ads, which glorify him and echo his campaign pitch as voters cast early ballots with the midterm elections less than a month away.
The spots, which began airing in September, already have cost more than $12 million to run, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact, and a total of $20 million in Homeland Security Department funding has been tapped to pay for them.
Responding Monday to the criticism, Trump defended the ads as “positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.” but said he’d pay for them using his MAGA Inc. super PAC going forward.
But on Tuesday, the fifth ad in the campaign began airing with the notice “paid for by the U.S. Government,” promoting Trump’s military actions in Venezuela earlier this year. The same day, Trump made it clear he hasn’t committed to reimbursing any money that has already been spent, telling reporters “we’ll decide.”
DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement that Trump is misusing taxpayer dollars in “a last-ditch attempt to save Republicans in November.”
“Americans deserve better than to have their hard-earned tax dollars used for Trump’s illegal schemes,” he added.
Legal experts have suggested the ads run afoul of a federal statute against congressionally appropriated money being used for “publicity or propaganda,” and potentially other federal laws. The Homeland Security money tapped for the ads comes from a $175 million package Congress gave to the department as part of Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.
The White House has defended the ads as public service announcements akin to what past administrations have done to promote various policies. Legal experts have said the recent ads differ from many past public service announcements because they aren’t aimed at helping members of the public benefit from specific government programs.
The defendants in the lawsuit — Trump, the White House, DHS and the Office of Management and Budget — didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The annual flu season usually starts in October or November. But this year, it looks like the flu started to pick up in early September.
Why now: The timing of the flu season isn't the only thing that's odd. It's also unusual that flu activity seems to have started in Western states, such as California, Washington, Hawaii and Alaska, experts say.
The backstory: It's unclear why flu activity would have started so early, and in such an unusual part of the country. But one clue might be a new variant that evolved a mutation, which appears to make it better at evading existing immunity, especially among teenagers.
What's next: Experts suggest scheduling your flu shot.
Fall has only just begun, but it's already time to start thinking about the quintessential winter bug: the flu.
The annual flu season usually starts in October or November. But this year, it looks like the flu started to pick up in early September.
"There are enough signs pointing in the same direction to make me think, 'OK, yes. This is the start of flu season,'" says Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The percentage of people testing positive for the flu in the West has been rising steadily since around the beginning of September, she says. And the number of people showing up in emergency departments because of the flu has also been rising for weeks, she adds.
"It's very uncommon to see flu activity rising this early. It's activity that we might normally see more like November or December," she says.
The timing of the flu season isn't the only thing that's odd. It's also unusual that flu activity seems to have started in Western states, such as California, Washington, Hawaii and Alaska.
"It typically starts in the South and then expands from there," Rivers says. "So two uncommon developments there."
Rivers stresses that the amount of flu activity is still very low in most parts of the country. But that's starting to change as the flu picks up nationwide.
It's unclear why flu activity would have started so early, and in such an unusual part of the country. But one clue might be a new variant that evolved a mutation, which appears to make it better at evading existing immunity, especially among teenagers.
"That's our best argument for what's going on right now in terms of this early flu season," says Dr. Alex Greninger, a virologist who heads infectious disease diagnostics at the University of Washington. Doctors there are seeing as much flu right now as they usually would around Christmas, and the mutated variant appears to be common, he says.
So Greninger, Rivers and others are urging people to think about getting their flu shot earlier than usual.
"It's crucial that people get an influenza vaccine," says Scott Hensley, a virologist at the University of Pennsylvania. "And this might be a year that people might want to get a vaccine early."
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn't been promoting flu shots as it usually does. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who oversees the CDC, is a long-time vaccine skeptic.
"It is disappointing that CDC is quiet given that flu kills of hundreds of kids a year and can result in tens of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths," says Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who resigned last year as the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protest what he called political interference at the agency.
The CDC declined to make an official available to NPR for this story. In a statement, a CDC spokesperson said, "CDC is developing a communications strategy to provide clear, accessible information about influenza vaccination and other critical steps people can take to protect themselves during respiratory virus season. This includes information about the benefits and risks of vaccination to support informed decision-making."
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