As wildfires roar into residential neighborhoods, firefighters in California and elsewhere are finding that water systems can’t keep up with the demand.

"We had a tremendous demand on our system… we pushed the system to the extreme,” Janisse Quiñones, CEO of the LA Department of Water and Power, said at a news conference Wednesday. “If there’s a message to take away from me today,

Crews battling multiple wildfires that raged across Los Angeles on Wednesday were up against a near-perfect storm: intense wind, low humidity and, most troubling for residents, inadequate supplies of water to contain the blazes.