Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said to Newsmax Thursday that the first 36 hours of battling the massive wildfires in Los Angeles County, California, "were tough," but reinforcements are arriving to help contain the blazes and give his crews a respite.
Augustin told Newsmax's "Wake Up America" that after more than a day trying to extinguish the inferno, his firefighters are "tired, but they love this community and they want to protect the homes and the land that we all work and live in."
"Thankfully, we're getting more reinforcements," he said. "We requested 60 strike teams. We have both Cal Fire and a federal incident management team coming in to support, lots of additional resources coming in, so they can actually get on a regular work-rest cycle."
Updated containment numbers will be coming in later on Thursday morning, Augustin said, but currently the fires have claimed "nearly 11,000 acres, with 0% containment." The chief noted that the weather conditions on Wednesday "became more favorable," as "the wind conditions started dying down."
"We were able to get aircraft up in the air and more reinforcements of firefighting personnel," he said. "I expect today that we will get even more aircraft, more firefighting personnel, and we'll be able to start making a run on getting a containment line around this fire."
Reports have surfaced that fire crews are running out of water because the fire hydrants have run dry, and Augustin said that his crews have run into the problem of limited or no water as they work to stop the fire's spread.
"When you have dozens and dozens of firefighting engines all at the same time, pulling water from water systems and fire hydrants, there is a risk of decreasing water supplies," he said. "You top that with a loss of power in some of our areas, and we did, for a short period of time in Pasadena, we did have limited and, in some cases, no water supply. Thankfully, it was very brief, and our crews, most of our fire engines, have at least 750 gallons of water on their fire engines, plus we have water tenders."
When asked what advice he would give to people who may be ordered to evacuate in the days to come, Augustin said, "If we tell you to evacuate, evacuate."
"Do not delay," he said. "We preach the preparation side, on the preparedness of having a go bag, being self-sufficient for 72 hours, all your essential items with medications and money and identification, alternate ways to evacuate your neighborhood. All of those are so important to have ahead of an emergency. And, as we're here, if we tell you to evacuate, it means evacuate. It's not worth a loss of life."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.