Second wave of S. California storm brings mudslides, flooding to wildfire burn areas

S. California storm brings mudslides, flooding

LOS ANGELES — Mudslides damaged up to 10 foothill homes and dozens of vehicles north of Los Angeles Saturday as an intense winter storm brought down hillsides in wildfire burn areas.

Mandatory evacuation orders were in place for at least six homes in the La Canada Flintridge area after heavy rains overflowed debris basins, carried away cement barricades and swept cars into storm drains.

“We’ve got crews going door to door to tell residents to get out,” said Los Angeles County Fire Insp. Frederick Stowers. “Some of the roads up there are a complete mess.”

At least a foot of debris was reported in some houses. Television footage showed one home with its living room furniture swept by a mud flow out of the house and into the back yard. Crews used bulldozers and other heavy equipment to clear masses of mud and rocks that blocked suburban streets and intersections.

No injuries were reported as a result of the mudslides.

A heavy downpour at sunrise followed a steady overnight rain of nearly 2 inches in a mountainous 250-square-mile scarred by wildfires last summer. The National Weather Service warned of floods likely in foothill areas of Santa Anita, Sierra Madre, Arcadia and Monrovia.

Widespread flooding and downed trees tied up traffic and caused accidents across Los Angeles County.

A section of the Long Beach Freeway was shut down early Saturday because of high water.

Water almost a foot deep flowed into businesses on Melrose Avenue. To the east, Topanga Canyon Boulevard was closed by a rock slide just north of Pacific Coast Highway, and scattered rocks and mud fell on roads in Malibu.

Scattered power outages affected more than 10,000 customers in the Los Angeles area.

By midmorning, the rain had moved east, but forecasters said another storm system was expected Saturday afternoon.

Associated Press Writer Christopher Weber contributed to this report.