Araceli Bloom, a social media influencer with more than 230,000 followers on TikTok, blamed the dam removal project—in which four hydroelectric dams on Klamath River, which runs through California and Oregon, were deactivated and demolished—for causing water shortages and making the fight to contain the blazes more difficult.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said water shortage issues "likely impaired" firefighting. Meanwhile, the death toll has risen to 11. DW has the latest.

Firefighters battled Thursday to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed seven people, burned at least 10,000 structures from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and sent thousands of people frantically fleeing their homes.

President Joe Biden on Thursday afternoon briefed the top directors of agencies that will help the state with the California fires. Among the complaints from those on the ground is that fire hydrants had gone dry after other areas used the stored water.

Firefighters working to extinguish the wildfires in the Los Angeles area have faced challenges as hydrants either have water shortages or completely ran out.

Los Angeles officials said a "tremendous" demand — four times normal levels — during the Palisades fire caused some hydrants to run dry.