Eaton Fire evacuees in Pasadena told drinking water is unsafe for consumption

Hundreds of families evacuated by the Eaton Fire in Pasadena are being told their drinking water may be so toxic that even boiling cannot make it safe. 

Pasadena Water and Power warned residents in the evacuation zone of the fire to not consume the tap water until further notice.

"It is devastating, man," said Alexander Beanuelos, a resident in Pasadena for 25 years. "I've lived in this area my whole life."

Beanuelos said he has seen fires in the region before but has never seen a fire come down into his neighborhood like the Eaton Fire has.

"We are spraying the house down to keep the embers from causing any fires to our property," Beanuelos said.

While his family is fortunate to still have a home to protect, many of those who live around him are going to be facing a much more difficult road ahead. Many homes, businesses and schools were claimed by the fire.

Because of the damage done, the Pasadena Water and Power district issued an "unsafe water" notice, meaning even filters and boiling can fail to protect humans from toxins in the water.

"We actually saw it on social media, that the water wasn't safe right now," Beanuelos said.

"The pipes melt and become open sources. Gasses from the fire burning can be pulled into the pipes, and those gasses contain lots of toxic chemicals which none of us want to breathe and they can contaminate those pipes," said Darrin Polhemus, deputy director of the division of drinking water.

"At what point does a system become so vulnerable that the toxins can't even be boiled out?" asked Dillon Thomas, reporter for CBS News and Stations.

"Boiling out is only generally used when we believe pathogens that could have got in," Polhemus said. "Boiling doesn't help with heavy metals and some of the volatile organics."

Because of the unsafe water declaration, many residents in the evacuation zone were flooding local stores to stock up on bottled water.

"(The tap water) is all contaminated, so they don't want you to even brush your teeth right now," said Sheri Elliot, a resident in the area.

Elliot, and her husband Frankii, said they were allowed to purchase three cases of water from the local grocery store as part of a limit imposed by the company.

"We are trying to get as much as they will allow us to, because we don't know. The water is so bad, we don't know when we will be able to use it at all," Elliott said.

Frankii Elliott said he was trying to remain positive and check in on his fellow community members during this time.

Beanuelos said he was also trying to share his bottles of water with first responders during this time as well.

The impacted water districts with unsafe water decelerations will have to flush their systems several times before returning regular supply to their communities.

And, even after the flushing is completed, there is a high chance that the water will still not be consumable. Instead, it will be available for washing machines, toilets and other non-consumed water.

Returning the water to being drinking-standards could take several days or even weeks more.