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"They were trying to water their lawns and not all the sprinklers would pop up."
The association last year persuaded the water district to add new pipelines and valves that will increase pressure, she said. But they're still waiting.
Fire captains also spoke about widespread water pressure problems Saturday. Orange County Fire Capt. Bill Lockhart said his crew hooked up to a hydrant on Fairmont Boulevard about 5 p.m. but no water came out. The crew struck water at the next available hydrant.
"It delayed things a bit, but we were able to make it happen," he said.
Dave Rosenberger, a Yorba Linda community college teacher who unsuccessfully ran for the water district board of directors, said he had often heard complaints of low pressure while campaigning door to door this fall.
He questioned what officials had been doing to anticipate the water demands of a wildfire.
"What was their preparedness plan out there?" he asked. "If I was a resident and my house had been destroyed, and I was going to the water board today, I would be a little bit agitated, a little bit troubled."
Lee Macpherson, coordinator of the Fire and Emergency Technology Department at El Camino College, said that when so many hydrants are opened, it's similar to when a family has turned on the dishwasher, the sprinklers and the washing machine and then someone jumps in the shower: Pressure will dwindle.
Lack of water pressure has hindered efforts to extinguish other fires, such as the blaze that tore through two city blocks at the Universal Studios Hollywood back lot in June, destroying the "King Kong" tour and burning movie sets.
When hundreds of homes in Laguna Beach burned to the ground in 1993 -- one of Orange County's worst fires -- the problem was never a shortage of water, but rather the lack of water pressure and a system not designed for such a huge blaze.
Fry, the assistant Los Angeles fire marshal, said the Sylmar mobile home park hydrant system was designed to fight house fires, not a wildfire.
"Open all the hydrants and there's going to be a significant drop in pressure," he said.
Battalion Chief Corey Creasey of the Glendale Fire Department, who was called to the blaze, said that as his five engines were fighting the fire, they heard radio calls that they needed to conserve water.
The water supply stopped around 5 a.m., he said.
"The system isn't designed to take 50 engines," Creasey said.
Gottlieb and Barboza are Times staff writers.
jeff.gottlieb@latimes.com
tony.barboza@latimes.com
The association last year persuaded the water district to add new pipelines and valves that will increase pressure, she said. But they're still waiting.
Fire captains also spoke about widespread water pressure problems Saturday. Orange County Fire Capt. Bill Lockhart said his crew hooked up to a hydrant on Fairmont Boulevard about 5 p.m. but no water came out. The crew struck water at the next available hydrant.
"It delayed things a bit, but we were able to make it happen," he said.
Dave Rosenberger, a Yorba Linda community college teacher who unsuccessfully ran for the water district board of directors, said he had often heard complaints of low pressure while campaigning door to door this fall.
He questioned what officials had been doing to anticipate the water demands of a wildfire.
"What was their preparedness plan out there?" he asked. "If I was a resident and my house had been destroyed, and I was going to the water board today, I would be a little bit agitated, a little bit troubled."
Lee Macpherson, coordinator of the Fire and Emergency Technology Department at El Camino College, said that when so many hydrants are opened, it's similar to when a family has turned on the dishwasher, the sprinklers and the washing machine and then someone jumps in the shower: Pressure will dwindle.
Lack of water pressure has hindered efforts to extinguish other fires, such as the blaze that tore through two city blocks at the Universal Studios Hollywood back lot in June, destroying the "King Kong" tour and burning movie sets.
When hundreds of homes in Laguna Beach burned to the ground in 1993 -- one of Orange County's worst fires -- the problem was never a shortage of water, but rather the lack of water pressure and a system not designed for such a huge blaze.
Fry, the assistant Los Angeles fire marshal, said the Sylmar mobile home park hydrant system was designed to fight house fires, not a wildfire.
"Open all the hydrants and there's going to be a significant drop in pressure," he said.
Battalion Chief Corey Creasey of the Glendale Fire Department, who was called to the blaze, said that as his five engines were fighting the fire, they heard radio calls that they needed to conserve water.
The water supply stopped around 5 a.m., he said.
"The system isn't designed to take 50 engines," Creasey said.
Gottlieb and Barboza are Times staff writers.
jeff.gottlieb@latimes.com
tony.barboza@latimes.com
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