Firefighter Swept To Sea, Supermarket Roof Collapses: How LA County Fared In The Storm

LOS ANGELES, CA — A destructive storm pummeled the Southland Thursday, flooding streets, causing crashes, prompting evacuation orders and triggering mudslides.

The storm entered Los Angeles County with light rain Wednesday. Precipitation picked up overnight and into Thursday, while the peak of the storm hit Thursday afternoon. The National Weather Service issued a series of Flash Flood Warnings for much of the region, including the Eaton, Palisades, Franklin and Bridge fire burn areas.

In those warnings, forecasters said there was "a high risk for a life-threatening debris flow."

Rainfall rates in some areas peaked at three-quarters of an inch to 1.2 inches per hour, more than double the rate that can trigger debris flows. Record rainfall was reported in downtown Los Angeles, with 2.8 inches breaking the record for the day of 2.71 inches set in 1954.

In the Malibu area, a Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter was sitting in a department SUV Thursday evening off Pacific Coast Highway when a large debris flow down Big Rock Road swept his vehicle into the ocean. He was able to exit his vehicle and suffered "minor injuries," authorities said.

Video showed people screaming at the firefighter to get out of the SUV when it was in the water.

The roof of a Smart & Final store in Azusa collapsed during the storm on Thursday. There were customers inside at the time, but there were no reports of patients needing treatment, officials said.

Storm runoff was seen racing down streets in the Pacific Palisades area, carrying mud and debris as it overwhelmed a catch basin and cascaded onto an empty street. NWS forecasters said law enforcement in the area was reporting multiple vehicle inundated by mud across the burn area.

In the Hollywood Hills, the LAFD reported a debris flow that parked 8 inches of mud on Mulholland Drive. No injuries were reported, but crews scrambled to ensure the safety of structures above and below the slide area.

Mud also swamped parts of Malibu Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway — roadways that were closed prior to the storm's arrival.

Evacuation warnings went into effect at 7 a.m. Thursday for recent burn areas within the city of Los Angeles, including areas around the Palisades, Sunset and Hurst fires. Additional warnings were in place in Malibu as well as in areas near the Eaton Fire burn zone: Altadena and Monrovia.

Meantime, earlier evacuation warnings for parts of Sierra Madre were upgraded to mandatory evacuation orders.

Residents in over 200 homes were subjected to mandatory evacuation orders on a case-by-case basis. Those people were notified directly by law enforcement that they would be required to leave their homes, according to officials.

Orange County authorities on Thursday upgraded earlier evacuation warnings to mandatory orders around the Airport Fire burn scar.

Pacific Coast Highway remained closed to the public between Chautauqua Boulevard in Pacific Palisades and Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu due to concerns about possible mud slides or debris flows. Topanga Canyon Boulevard was closed between PCH and Grand View Drive.

A series of other road closures were also in effect in Malibu, including a portion of Malibu Canyon Road.

City News Service contributed to this report.