LA County Public Works: Storm Could Bring Mudflows To Bobcat, Ranch, Lake Fire Burn Areas
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Authorities are bracing for possible mudflows in areas were recently scorched by wildfire, including the Bobcat Fire, the Ranch Fire, and the Lake Fire.
Los Angeles County Public Works has issued debris and mudflow forecasts ahead of the storm that is expected to reach Southern California by Monday night. As much as three inches of rain could fall on the coasts and valleys, while the mountains could get as much as five inches of rain.
Streets in could be flooded or blocked by debris, and some structures could be threatened, in Glendale, Granada Hills, Santa Clarita, and Brentwood due to the rainfall. But the threat of flooded or blocked streets is more widespread in Agua Dulce, the Castaic area, Sunland-Tujunga, Lake Hughes, Monrovia, Azusa, and in Glendale, where the Grandview Fire burned. LA County Public
Works says residents in these areas should be prepared to evacuate. The 24-hour period for potential mudflows begins at 11 p.m. Monday.
Evacuation warnings have already been issued in some parts of San Bernardino County. Santa Barbara County, where the Alisal Fire burned in October, issued an evacuation order for residents in the Alisal Fire burn scar Monday afternoon. Neighborhoods west of Las Flores Canyon, east of Mariposa Reina, south of West Camino Cielo, and down to the ocean, were warned to be ready to get out at a moment's notice due to the potential for flooding, mud, and debris.
The impending storm is particularly nerve-wracking for residents in Santa Barbara County, which was devastated by a major debris flow in 2018, not even a month after the Thomas Fire. That debris flow killed 20 people and destroyed 100 homes.