NationofChange Drinking water should be assumed to be chemically unsafe until proven otherwise. More than 58,000 fires scorched the United States last year, and 2021 is on track to be even drier. What many people donât realize is that these wildfires can do lasting damage beyond the reach of the flamesâthey can contaminate entire drinking water systems with carcinogens that last for months after the blaze. That water flows to homes, contaminating the plumbing, too. Over the past four years, wildfires have contaminated drinking water distribution networks and building plumbing for more than 240,000 people. Small water systems serving housing developments, mobile home parks, businesses and small towns have been particularly hard-hit. Most didnât realize their water was unsafe until weeks to months after the fire.