The city has received some questions about reports that fire hydrants ran out of water during the height of the fires in Los Angeles, including concerns about that happening here. Here’s the short answer from Carlsbad's Utilities Department...
There are different ways to move water from its source to taps, or, in this case, fire hydrants. The city's system uses gravity to move water from place to place, with the right amount of pressure. That’s why you’ll notice that large water tanks are located on high points around our city.
Other systems, like the ones that had problems in the fires up north, use different methods to move water that can be more vulnerable to losing pressure. So, it’s not that they ran out of water; they lost pressure needed to move the water through the system.
While the city is on the topic of water and fires, another thing that can affect pressure, regardless of the type of system, is too many people using their garden hoses. Not only is it dangerous to ignore evacuation orders, but if everyone turned on their hoses at the same time, it would interfere with firefighters who need that pressure in nearby hydrants.
