Los Angeles County officials missed dozens of opportunities for water infrastructure improvements that experts say probably would have enabled firefighters to save more homes during the Palisades fire, public records show. As crews battled the blaze, attempting to extinguish flames that burned huge swaths of L.A. County and killed at least 11 people, some hydrants ran dry. The lack of water has come under scrutiny since the wildfire broke out Jan. 7, with officials scrambling to explain why the 117-million-gallon Santa Ynez Reservoir was left empty for maintenance. But thousands of pages of state, county and municipal records reviewed by The Times show the disaster was years in the making. Red tape, budget shortfalls and government inaction repeatedly stymied plans for water system improvements — including some that specifically cited the need to boost firefighting capacity. Many projects on a list of about three dozen “highest priority” upgrades compiled by county officials in 2013 have yet to break ground in communities devastated by the fires.

Other wildfires and rain articles:

• Los Angeles Times: Rain is finally coming to Southern California: What you need to know
• San Francisco Chronicle: With L.A. expecting rain, here’s how likely debris flows are near burn scars
• The New York Times: It will finally rain in Southern California. Cue the risk of mudslides.
• California Department of Water Resources news release: DWR takes action to support recovery and fire mitigation efforts in Los Angeles
• CNN: LA keeps wary eye on rain that could help or hurt wildfire victims as new infernos pop up in San Diego County