A mudslide caused by a powerful storm hitting Southern California trapped two elderly homeowners inside the bedroom of their Camarillo Springs residence Friday morning, prompting a rescue by fire crews.
An intense downpour was hitting the area around 2 a.m. when the slide occurred.
At least eight homes sustained “significant damage” after a staggering amount of rock, mud and debris came down overnight from the hillside above San Como Lane, which is located in the Springs Fire burn area.
The level of mud and debris reached up to the roofs of some of the homes, video from the scene showed. In others, a mixture of mud and water was flowing through shattered windows.
K-rails that had been put up to prevent such flows were severely damaged and lay in pieces.
Several people had to be rescued, firefighters said, including one elderly couple who stayed behind amid a voluntary evacuation order. Their caretaker was also rescued, firefighters said.
“It was waist deep,” Capt. Nick Cleary said. “They had a sliding glass door that all the mud had pushed into the bedroom, and pushed the dresser on top of the bed. They were kind of trapped under the dresser.”
Water and debris flowed through the home and into the couple’s bedroom.
“It just came pouring in, so I told my wife just stay in bed,” Jim Shiraishi told KTLA a short time after he was rescued. “I could just feel the mud… there must be 3 or 4 feet of mud in there.”
Firefighters arrived and were able to rescue the pair, carrying them both outside the home and to safety. Neither was injured.
“I’m OK,” Shiraishi said, after recounting his frightening ordeal.
The voluntary evacuation order was changed to a mandatory one in the middle of the night, and San Como Lane residents were subsequently evacuated. Authorities went door to door and were able to alert residents and get them safely out of their homes.
Those evacuation orders we changed back to voluntary around 2:15 p.m.
A shelter was opened at the Leisure Village Recreation Building, which is located at 1200 Leisure Village Drive in the city of Camarillo, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Multiple lanes were also closed in Camarillo Springs, according to the Ventura County Office of Emergency Services.
The road closures included San Como Lane between Gitana Avenue and Lada Avenue, Gitana Avenue between Camarillo Springs Road and Sam Como Lane, and Irena Avenue between Lada Avenue and Camarillo Springs Road.
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