Contaminated drinking water is a growing concern for cities facing wildfires

As fires continue to burn across Los Angeles, several utilities have declared their drinking water unsafe until extensive testing can prove otherwise.

A warmer, drier climate means wildfires are getting worse, and encroaching on cities — with devastating impact. Toxic chemicals from those burns can get into damaged drinking water systems, and even filtering or boiling won’t help, experts say.

Last week, Pasadena Water and Power issued a “Do Not Drink” notice to about a third of...