With Southern California fire crews struggling to contain some of the multiple wildfires near the Los Angeles area, you may have noticed that, for the most part, they are avoiding the use of the Pacific Ocean to help quell the blazes.
A major obstacle in the fight has been the low water supplies. While there have been some instances of aerial firefighters scooping water out of the Pacific Ocean––along with retardant, of course––to dump onto the wildfires, it is not heavily used for the most part.
SEE ALSO: Animal rescuers care for L.A. wildfire evacuees – dogs, donkeys, horses
Why is that? Basically, there are multiple reasons why fire crews are reluctant to use water from the ocean.
Helicopter dumping water on wildfire/Toa55/Getty Images/2016576199-170667a
Helicopter carrying water bucket to extinguish the wildfire. (Toa55/Getty Images/2016576199-170667a)
On Canada’s West Coast, British Columbia is “fortunate to have an abundance of freshwater sources along our coastal region that can be used to fight wildfires,” according to a statement from B.C.’s Ministry of Forests, emailed to The Weather Network.
Salt has adverse effects on firefighting equipment
According to Technology.org, the main issue is the corrosion effects on firefighting equipment from the salt content in the ocean water.
Water tanks and other pieces of firefighter equipment have numerous parts that are made from metal, which will corrode from salt water.
La Jolla, California/Art Wager/Getty Images:1908609423-170667a
La Jolla, Calif. (Art Wager/Getty Images:1908609423-170667a)
The BC Wildfire Service will use salt water if necessary, but due to its potential corrosiveness on firefighting equipment, it will always opt for fresh water, the B.C. ministry added.
“Since the province does not regularly use salt water to fight wildfires in B.C., data on its impact to the landscape or its effectiveness is limited,” said the forestry ministry.
Fresh water more successful at putting out fires
When comparing the two types of water, fresh does a better job at putting out wildfires, mainly because of the properties it contains.
Salt can reduce the cooling effect of water, reducing its efficiency at lowering the temperature of the fire.
And the source of the extinguishment can differ, depending on the type of fire. Certain, specialized fires may require specialty extinguishing agents, such as foam or dry chemicals.
birds flying in rough ocean waters (piola666/ iStock/ Getty Images Plus)
(piola666/ iStock/ Getty Images Plus)
Ocean water isn’t practical, and is conductive
Firefighters have to consider logistics when choosing fresh or salt water. Ocean water isn’t practical most times. Many wildfires burn far away from the coast, often in remote areas. Transporting ocean water to those locations would be cumbersome and complex at a time when speed is crucial.
As well, there is the issue of electrical conductivity. Salt water is a suitable conductor of electricity. Using it on electrical fires can be hazardous since it could elevate the risk of electrical shock.
“There is one other reason not to use salt water to fight fires, and that is that salt water is highly conductive,” said Ze’ev Gedalof, associate professor at the University of Guelph, in a recent interview with The Weather Network.
BC wildfire service helicopter
(BC Wildfire Service)
“If you’ve got live power lines and salt water together, that’s dangerous for the people who are fighting the fire. There is a real risk of shock.”
Saltwater impacts on coastal ecosystems
The environmental impacts have been documents. Similar to road salt runoff, ocean water could also seep into rivers and streams. All of that may then impact wildlife.
To simulate the impacts of salt and fresh water on coastal forests, scientists used a freshwater woodland at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) as part of a project to unravel the future effects of sudden deluges.
Chesapeake Bay/flownaksala/Getty Images-858285514-170667a
Chesapeake Bay. (flownaksala/Getty Images-858285514-170667a)
The initiative, referred to as TEMPEST, or Terrestrial Ecosystem Manipulation to Probe the Effects of Storm Treatments, mirrored intense, freshwater rainstorms and saltwater storm surges by soaking parts of the forest.
Salty water from Chesapeake Bay was inserted into tanks and splashed on the forest soil surface, quick enough to saturate the soil. After 30 hours of exposure to the salt water in June 2004, scientists started to notice changes in the forest.
“The leaves of tulip poplar in the forests started to brown in mid-August, several weeks earlier than normal. By mid-September, the forest canopy was bare, as if winter had set in. These changes did not occur in a nearby plot that we treated the same way, but with fresh water rather than sea water,” said Patrick Megonigal, ecosystem ecologist and associate director of research at SERC, in an article he wrote for The Conversation, published on Jan. 13, 2025.
Ghost forests/Goose Creek/Melinda Martinez/USGS
Ghost forest. (Melinda Martinez/United States Geological Survey).
According to Megonigal, sea level rise has increased by an average of about eight inches (203 millimetres) globally over the past century. The result has seen salty water being pushed into U.S. forests, farms and neighbourhoods that had previously had only been exposed to fresh water.
“As the rate of sea level rise accelerates, storms push sea water ever farther onto the dry land, eventually killing trees and creating ghost forests, a result of climate change that is widespread in the U.S. and globally,” Megonigal wrote in the Jan. 13 article.
WATCH: Myth or truth? Wildfires in Canada are linked to climate change
Click here to view the video
With files from Reuters.
Thumbnail contains an image of Venice Beach and Los Angeles nearing sunset. It is courtesy of Markue/Getty Images-1302847138-170667a.
Follow Nathan Howes on X and Bluesky.