Hundreds of fire hydrants were stolen from the ground for scrap metal in advance of the blazes raging across Los Angeles, highlighting the local government’s challenges in maintaining basic order and infrastructure.

The Los Angeles Fire Department’s budget was cut by nearly $17.6 million this fiscal year. That’s a roughly 2% decrease from the previous year.

Los Angeles authorities have evacuated some 30,000 people as of Wednesday, as flames tear through the Pacific Palisades, threatening more than 10,000 homes. And even though the fires are literally in their own backyard,