California wiped out from landslides as fires intensify

oak glen, california – Rescue teams Wednesday searched for people missing in a mudslide that swept rocks up a fire-scarred slope in the mountains of Southern California Wednesday, but firefighters were able to contain the blaze a week ago and start fresh. Gaining strength forced more evacuations along the northern foothills of the province.

Evacuation orders remain in place for parts of the San Bernardino Mountains as thunderstorms are expected and more landslides are likely, and flash floods washed away cars and buried buildings east of Los Angeles late Monday. rice field.

500 miles (805 km) to the north, flames erupted on Tuesday afternoon and mosquito fires destroyed buildings, just hours after officials reported “great progress” in the fighting. .

“The fire was contained overnight,” and crew members were able to prevent the blaze from entering the town of Forest Hill, Fire spokesman Scott McLean said Wednesday. He said several buildings were on fire, but the exact number will not be known until a damage assessment team investigates.The area 110 miles (177 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco can be explored.

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The fire is one of three large fires in the state.

In Southern California, mudflows swept rocks, trees, and other debris into Forest Falls, Oak Glen, and Yucaipa with astonishing force, leaving a muddy mess and unfathomable destruction that could have left human beings on a street-by-street basis. I searched.

San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesperson Eric Sherwin said residential and other buildings were damaged, including a very high buried commercial building roof that collapsed.

“Rocks weighing tons were moved,” says Sherwin. “It’s completely covered in mud, so it could take days just to find all the missing cars.”

a video A slow black river of sludge tumbled past the Oak Glen Steakhouse and Saloon sign on Monday, showing seconds later a deep muddy wave carrying logs. The mud looked like it was head high in places the next day.

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Sherwin said crew members are looking for one missing person.

Residents who tried to return home found it difficult to navigate through the sticky mess.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Perla Halbert, her feet covered in mud on her way home. She said, “Take two steps and you’re submerged. You’re just stuck.

Hulbert had been out of town and returned to her home in Oakglen late Monday to find her driveway covered in inches of mud. We came back after the sack and found several feet of mud and a washed-out fence.

Her husband went shopping for boots and coveralls before trekking through the mud to assess the damage.

“Lots of rocks, lots of mud. But hopefully the house itself is fine,” she said.

Authorities lifted several mandatory evacuation and shelter-in-place orders Tuesday night.

Workers were able to clear most of the Valley of the Falls Drive, the only road to Forest Falls, and the team was assessing the damage. Other major roads in the San Bernardino Mountains have reopened.

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The rain was a remnant of a tropical storm that brought strong winds and much-needed rainfall to drought-hit Southern California last week, prompting firefighters to evacuate about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of California. It helped to largely contain the Fairview fire, which was burning out of control. Landslide.

Mudflows and flash floods occurred in parts of the San Bernardino Mountains (areas with little vegetation to hold soil) scorched by the 2020 wildfires.

The landslide occurred about 175 miles (280 kilometers) east of Montecito. In January 2018, a month after massive wildfires scorched the mountainside, a massive debris flow killed more than 20 of his people and destroyed hundreds of homes.

The Fairview Fire burned about 75 miles (121 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. The 44-square-mile (114-square-kilometer) fire was 69% contained by Wednesday morning. At least 35 homes and other structures in Riverside County were destroyed, while two people escaped the fire.

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The Mosquito fire expanded to about 91 square miles (about 236 square kilometers) on Wednesday with a 20% containment rate, according to the California Forestry and Fire Protection Agency (Cal Fire).

More than 11,000 people have been evacuated and nearly 6,000 structures are at risk. Both numbers are up as flames raged near Forest Hill and Todd Valley on Tuesday after the fire jumped over the middle he fork of the American River. Over 45 houses and other buildings were destroyed.

High winds on Tuesday pushed out the smoke reversal layer that was holding back the flames, providing fresh oxygen to the flames. I challenged both.

Scientists say climate change will make the West warmer and drier, weather more extreme, and wildfires more frequent and devastating over the past 30 years. Over the past five years, California has experienced the largest and most devastating fires in its history.

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Weber reported from Los Angeles. His AP writer, Stephanie Dazio, who lives in Los Angeles, contributed to this report.

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For more information about AP on climate and the environment, see: https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.