{"id":124176,"date":"2025-01-27T00:47:43","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T00:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/la-wildfires-live-residents-face-new-threats-of-mudslides-and-toxic-ash-as-rain-hits-southern-california-the-independent\/"},"modified":"2025-01-27T00:47:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T00:47:43","slug":"la-wildfires-live-residents-face-new-threats-of-mudslides-and-toxic-ash-as-rain-hits-southern-california-the-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/la-wildfires-live-residents-face-new-threats-of-mudslides-and-toxic-ash-as-rain-hits-southern-california-the-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"LA wildfires live: Residents face new threats of mudslides and \u2018toxic ash\u2019 as rain hits Southern California – The Independent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in<\/span>Please refresh your browser to be logged in<\/span>
Seven fires are still raging across Southern California and have consumed more than 57,000 acres
Independent Premium
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Southern California residents are facing new threats after rain fell over neighborhoods most impacted <\/a>by recent wildfires.
Much-needed rain fell in the Los Angeles area on Saturday and showers are expected to continue on Sunday, according to AccuWeather. The moisture helps fire crews to slow the wildfires that started burning on January 7.<\/a>
More than 28 people have died in the blazes. The major L.A. fires are all at least 80 percent contained.
Now, officials are warning about the potential of mudslides and \u201ctoxic ash\u201d runoff from the rain. Toxic ash is all the chared materials from the fires and it can contain pesticides, asbestos, plastics and lead, according to the Associated Press<\/a>. Officials say more evacuations may be necessary to deal with the new threats.
\u201cSo the problem would be if one of those showers happens to park itself over a burn area,\u201d weather service meteorologist Carol Smith told the AP. \u201cThat could be enough to create debris flows.\u201d
Days ago, President Donald Trump<\/a> met with Governor Gavin Newsom<\/a> in Los Angeles<\/a> to survey the damage. Trump said he would back the state, but floated conditions for receiving disaster aid.<\/a>
A flood advisory has been issued in parts of Los Angeles County, meaning flooding is starting to occur in the burn scars, according to the National Weather Service.
The advisory is in effect until 4 p.m. PST.
The agency warned: \u201cExcessive rainfall could cause roadway flooding and minor debris flows in and around the Hurst and Sunset burn scars. Peak rain rates of 0.30 to 0.40 inches per hour will be likely. There is a chance of thunderstorms through Monday morning which could result in heavier showers, localized flooding, and small hail.\u201d
The wildfire-torn region could soon see yet another natural disaster, experts say.
Now a flash flood watch is in effect in Los Angeles County from Sunday morning through Monday afternoon.
Because the vegetation has been scorched by the blazes, it\u2019s not as absorbant for rain, making it more at risk for debris flow, mudslides and flash flooding.
\u201cThe force of this rushing water and debris can also damage or even destroy things like culverts, bridges, roadways and even buildings that were left standing after the fires — even miles away from the burned area,\u201d AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Damien Lodes explained.
The Palisades fire, which has been burning since January 7, has scorched more than 23,000 acres in Los Angeles County. It\u2019s 87 percent contained as of Sunday morning.
The blaze that erupted hours later, the Eaton fire, is now 95 percent contained after growing to 14,000 acres.
Meanwhile, the Border 2 fire that broke out on Thursday in San Diego County is just 10 percent contained and has already blazed through more than 6,000 acres.
The area that has been rampaged by wildfires for the past few weeks could soon see flash floods, the National Weather Service warned.
A flash flood watch is in effect from 10 a.m. Sunday through 4 p.m. Monday in the Eaton, Palisades, Franklin, Bridge, and Hughes burn scars.
\u201cHeavy rain over the burn scars could trigger debris flows,\u201d the agency warned.
Shelters remain open for people impacted by the wildfires, according to state officials.
Here is a list<\/a> of shelters that remain open.
The Pasadena Convention Center remains the largest shelter with more than 300 people using it on Saturday, according to an official count.
Some of the schools in Los Angeles that were closed for fires are set to reopen in the coming days.
District officials told The Associated Press<\/a> that staff has worked to get facilities ready by inspecting ventilation systems, replacing filters and installing air purifiers in classrooms. The buildings have also been cleaned inside and out.
An environmental consultant is also inspecting schools.
Dr. Lisa Patel, a pediatrician and executive director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, prised the district – but added that there is still some risk of exposure to dangerous ash.
\u201cChildren often have more hand-to-mouth behavior and their bodies are rapidly growing in these first few years, and so they can be more sensitive to this type of pollution,\u201d said Patel. \u201cThere will be a risk for a while to come in terms of exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n

More rain is expected to fall today in Southern California as crews continue to battle the blazes.
The much-needed rain started on Saturday afternoon, with many areas seeing at least some trace amounts. The Hollywood Reservoir has measured .18 inches of rain in the last 24 hours. The Clear Creek monitoring station has seen .67 inches.
\u201cFollowing the onset of drizzle Saturday afternoon, rain is expected to slowly increase in areal coverage and intensity through the remainder of the weekend as the onshore regime continues. We\u2019re expecting rainfall totals on the order of 0.50-1.00 of an inch for most of the LA basin, around San Diego and near the surrounding coastal areas,\u201d AccuWeather<\/a> Meteorologist Jacob Hinson said.<\/p>\n

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in<\/span>Please refresh your browser to be logged in<\/span><\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inSeven fires are still raging across Southern California and have consumed more than 57,000 acres Independent PremiumWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":124177,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}