Calabasas Lake Water Used to Fight Malibu Fire

A Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter drew water from Calabasas Lake on Thursday to help put out a fire in Malibu sparked by a fatal car wreck.

The practice of "snorkeling" water from lakes and other bodies of water using a long siphon is common and does not require an OK from local governments, said Maria Grycan, community services liasion with the fire department.

"Cities are aware of it so we never have an issue," she said.

The Firehawk that hovered above Calabasas Lake can hold up to 1,000 gallons of water, she said.

Resident Adrienne Brent, who lives by the lake, took pictures of the helicopter and sent them to Patch.

"It was noisy, but exciting," she said of her experience.

Brent, a lakeside resident since 2003, said this wasn't the first time Calabasas Lake water was used to battle a brusher.

"They used to do it quite often, but I haven't seen it in the past three, four years," she said.