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Camp Fire Contaminated Paradise Water Supply With Cancer-Causing Chemical

In addition to all the other problems created by the deadly Camp Fire in Butte County last November, water officials reportedly said the water supply in the town of Paradise, which all but leveled by the flames, is contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical benzene.

About 1,500 of the more than 26,000 people who lived in the town before the wildfire are back and living in the few houses which survived the flames. However, while some residents want to return, officials said that fixing the problem could take up to two years and cost upwards of $300 million.

The Sacramento Bee reported Thursday that experts believe the extreme heat of the November firestorm created a "toxic cocktail" of gases in burning homes that was sucked into water pipes when the system depressurized from use by residents and firefighters.

Test results showed contamination in a little over 30 percent of the lines tested, though only around two percent of the town's water delivery system reportedly has been tested.

Water officials have warned people in Paradise not to drink, cook, bathe or brush their teeth with tap water. It is recommended that showers be short and only taken with warm water.

Cases of free bottled water are being offered daily to residents.


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