SATURDAY EDITION
Snopes Debunker
Yes, Some LA Fire Hydrants Ran Out of Water. That's Not the Whole Story, Though
On Jan. 8, as residents in the Los Angeles area fled destructive wildfires, claims circulated that fire hydrants had run out of water. Popular claims that there was "no water in the fire hydrants" abounded on social media and were also picked up by local and national news sources like the Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press.
Los Angeles officials addressed the claim during news conferences on Jan. 8. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power CEO Janisse Quiñones told reporters that 20% of fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades area lost water supply due to "tremendous" pressure on the system during firefighting efforts for the Palisades fire. Fire hydrants do not generally have the capacity to be used in large-scale firefighting, officials also said. Snopes reporter Laerke Christensen reports.
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A Complete Guide to Trump's Cabinet Appointees
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Staff Pick
Snopes CEO's Take on Meta Cutting Ties with Fact-Checkers
The social platform announced sweeping changes in early January.
