Wildfires can contaminate drinking water systems with harmful chemicals − here’s what Los Angeles needs to know

Water runs from a pipe where a home once stood in the Pacific Palisades community of Los Angeles in January 2025. Jay L. Clendenin/Getty Images

The wildfires in the Los Angeles area have destroyed thousands of structures, many of them homes, and firefighters continue to battle the infernos. Parts of Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena and other California communities are now unrecognizable.

As evacuation orders are lifted, safe drinking water should be top of mind for those residents able to return to their homes.