Fire-scarred areas escape large-scale rain

SAN FRANCISCO — A major storm brought localized mudslides and street flooding to California and some people had to be rescued from stranded vehicles, but fire-scarred areas escaped large-scale damage.

Water from flash floods receded in Northern California and crews on Friday cleared debris from roads, culverts and levees that flooded in Chico, said Butte County spokeswoman Kelly Hubbard.

Debris flowed downhill from Paradise, a town destroyed by a wildfire three weeks ago, to Chico during a downpour Thursday that dumped 1½ inches (3.8 centimeters) of rain in an hour, the National Weather Service said.

The heavy rain inundated roads, trapping people in about 100 vehicles and forcing some mandatory evacuations in Chico, a city of 90,000 where many of the fire evacuees from Paradise are staying.

All roads that were closed during the emergency were opened by Friday, and the Butte County Sheriff's Office said mandatory evacuations for homes in lowlying areas had been reduced to evacuation warnings.

Light showers are forecast for later Friday in the Sierra Nevada, where snow is expected in lower elevations, according to the weather service, which issued a winter storm warning for the Sierra that will go into effect Friday night through Saturday morning.

All evacuation orders were lifted for residents near a Southern California wildfire burn scar.