Search continues for woman missing after mudslides hit Forest Falls area

Crews continued to sift through feet of mud in San Bernardino County after a series of mudslides impacted the areas surrounding the El Dorado Fire burn scar, as they searched for a woman who has been missing since the event occurred. 

She was last seen on the first floor of her home, which is now filled with mud. According to authorities, the woman lived on Prospect Drive in Forest Falls near Yucaipa.

Early reports indicated that San Bernardino County Fire Department Search & Rescue crews were searching for both the woman and her missing dog, the latter of which they located early Wednesday, two days after the powerful mudslide filled the city streets. 

Anxious family members of the missing woman, the family matriarch, could be seen thanking the search and rescue crew members for their efforts as they continued to work through the late afternoon. 

Teams, aided by tracking dogs, are still searching through the mud inside, as well as the creek beside the home. 

"They're wonderful, wonderful people," said Nicole Duncan, who lives in the neighborhood. "I think right now they're just trying to find closure."

30 homes were damaged or destroyed during the mudslide, including the family's on Prospect Drive, where blown out windows and splintered wood could be seen next to piles of mud several feet high.

The mudslides, which San Bernardino County officials noted weren't the first since the El Dorado Fire struck the area in 2020, torching 22,680 over a 23-day period. They suggest they won't be the last, and the recent flurry of incidents are a reminder of the risks that come with living next to such a vulnerable area. 

"We still have that hillside ... that has a lot of fire scar damage and not a lot of vegetation," officials said during a press conference Wednesday. "It will still release. The biggest thing the public can do is heed the warnings."

Jarring videos from the scene shows separate instances of massive mud flowing through the streets, taking trees and rocks with it. Several businesses in the Oak Glen area were damaged during the incident, and dozens forced to evacuate from their homes.

While the family continues to wait for news on their beloved mother and grandmother, the community of Forest Falls has gathered to offer them support in any way they can.

"I do know that they're homeless right now, and I know that they've got kids. They're part of our community," Duncan said. 

As cleanup efforts continue, with seemingly no end of mud in sight, San Bernardino County is seeking federal and local aid in funding.