Lighter than expected rainfall Wednesday prompted officials in Los Angeles County to lift some of the mandatory evacuation orders in place for the region’s burn areas, despite another round of showers rolling through Thursday.
Mandatory evacuations for Kagel Canyon, Lopez Canyon, and Little Tujunga, which were to begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, have been canceled, according to the county’s information website.
The good news did not, however, spread to residents in the La Tuna Canyon area, where mandatory evacuations remained in place from the 210 Freeway to 8300 block to the 9000 block of La Tuna Canyon Road due to debris flow. The La Tuna Canyon closure also extended from the 8300 block to the 210 Freeway.
L.A. County officials tweeted out a photo showing an eroded hillside in the evacuated area, taken about a mile north of the 8300 block of La Tuna Canyon. No structures were destroyed or damaged as a result of the erosion, officials noted.
Evacuation centers at Sylmar Recreation Center and Sun Valley Recreation Center remain open, according to the website.
Officials are concerned about possible mud and debris flows as several inches of rain are expected to drop on the region Thursday.
Burbank residents that were impacted by the Creek Fire in December had been placed under voluntary evacuation, but the city lifted the orders shortly before 5 p.m.
A rain storm in January resulted in a Burbank mudslide that sent the driver of a Prius sliding down a flooded roadway in an incident that was captured on video.
In Studio City, surveillance video captured the collapse of a giant pine tree amid Wednesday’s heavy showers. Residents were in the home at the time of the incident, but no one was injured. One resident said the tree was already leaning before it finally toppled in the rain.
A tree fell onto a home in Sherman Oaks — an occurrence that’s happened more than once as one local resident told KTLA.
Crews are expected to begin removing the tree Thursday and evaluate the safety of other trees in the Studio City neighborhood.
An evacuation center will also remain open on for residents in the Skirball Fire burn area of Bel-Air who chose to voluntarily evacuate their homes, Los Angeles city officials said. It is at the Westwood Recreation Center, which is located at 1350 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
In Riverside County, mandatory evacuation orders that had been in place for Corona residents impacted by the Canyon Fire were lifted at 4 p.m. Thursday. However, those in the area were urged to continue monitoring their surroundings and express caution.
One resident who decided to stay said he had enough foliage around his yard to feel safe.
“The last time that we left it was very hard to get back up. We have our family here, our business to run, so we didn’t want to leave.” Chris Muller said.
Meanwhile, in Santa Clarita, Roadrunner Road was closed due to hazardous conditions, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station tweeted, along with a photo of an overturned SUV in the flooded roadway. Citizens helped rescue the SUV’s occupants, and no injuries were reported, authorities said.
Earlier, the Sheriff’s Station said it was receiving reports of flooding on Smyth Drive between Copperhill and Dickason drives in Santa Clarita. The road remained open as of 9:35 a.m., but sheriff’s officials warned motorists to exercise caution when driving in the area.
Also in the Santa Clarita area, Six Flags Magic Mountain was closed for a second straight day because of the rain. As was the case Wednesday, tickets purchased for Thursday will be food for any day of the rest of the year.
Two other Southern California theme parks — Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park and Legoland Water Park in Carlsbad — were also closed Thursday because of inclement weather. Mrs. Knott’s and the California Marketplace remain open Thursday, according to the Orange County theme park.
Elsewhere, the storm trigged some road closures, including in the Fish Fire impact area of Duarte. City officials announced that they have closed down Melcanyon Road amid forecasts calling for the heaviest part of the storm to drench the area beginning at 11 a.m. The closure was scheduled to last through 7 a.m. Friday.
Since the start of the storm, Duarte has received a total of .61 inches of rain, according to a news release from the city. The rainfall, however, has not triggered any debris flows in the area, officials noted.
Forecasters are calling for between 2 and 4 inches of rain to drop on the foothill and mountain areas Thursday. Peak rain rates could reach a half-inch to one-inch per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly indicated that Legoland would be closed Thursday; in fact only the Legoland Water Park is closed. The story has been updated.