Pack Fire explodes in Mono County, California, forcing evacuations as storm threatens mudslides in the south

A powerful storm is battering California, bringing heavy rains that could help counter the strong winds fueling a fast-growing wildfire in the Sierra Nevada mountains, but they could also trigger dangerous flooding and landslides further south, where previous fires have destroyed vegetation.

There were apocalyptic scenes overnight as Pack fireA fire near the popular Mammoth Mountain ski resort in Mono County has damaged at least 15 homes.

Mandatory evacuation orders were in effect for at least two communities threatened by the Pack Fire in Mono County, which the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said was zero percent contained and burning at 3,400 acres as of Friday morning.

Many other areas were under evacuation warnings, meaning people needing more time to escape were urged to do so immediately.

The Pack Fire exploded Thursday evening in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, destroying more than a dozen homes and spreading quickly thanks to high winds from an atmospheric river. Conditions were so bad that crews grounded all firefighting planes overnight.

Heavy rain accompanying the storm off the Pacific could help crews control the fire Friday, and scientists say the moisture-laden storm could even end California’s fire season, but in the southern part of the state, many residents were concerned about possible mudslides in areas scarred by the burns.

Some 23 million people were under flood watches across California as of Friday morning.

Authorities fear that hillsides charred by the devastating wildfires that hit Southern California earlier this year, left without foliage to hold the soil, could give way under heavy rains.

The weather system moved across parts of California on Thursday, flooding roads and downing trees.

“It’s basically like a river,” Sierra Madre resident Gary Kelly said of the deluge. “It rains right when there’s about an inch in an hour.”

Kelly lives in the Eaton Fire burn scar area near Pasadena. His neighborhood has been warned of a significant risk of flash flooding, so he was busy Thursday preparing for the worst.

For Kelly and others in the community, the scenes of devastation caused by flooding and landslides triggered by February’s storms, just after the wildfires, are still fresh in their minds.

“Every time a fire spreads through the hills and then it rains, a lot of that mud comes down, so that’s what I think everyone’s worried about,” he said.

This storm could give the Los Angeles area its wettest November in 40 years. County officials encouraged people to map out evacuation routes in the most vulnerable areas, including Malibu, where intense mudslides and flooding could occur.