Mudslides turn deadly

AT least 13 people were killed and dozens of homes swept away or heavily damaged yesterday as downpours sent mud and boulders roaring down hills stripped of vegetation by a gigantic wildfire that raged in Southern California last month.

Helicopters plucked more than 50 people from rooftops because downed trees and power lines blocked roads, and dozens more were rescued on the ground, including a mudcaked 14-year-old girl pulled from a collapsed Montecito home where she had been trapped for hours.