Heavy Rain Brings Mudslide Concerns To Region Burned By King Fire

POLLOCK PINES (CBS13) — A strong storm rolling through California has prompted mudslide concerns in areas hit by the devastating King Fire in the foothills.

With enough rain in the burned area, loose debris could be sent down the hill toward major roadways and homes.

Tens of thousands of acres in the burn area have no or very little vegetation.

El Dorado National Forest supervisor Laurence Crabtree says the conditions could cause dangerous mudslides.

"That will depend on duration and intensity, in other words if it's spread out over a few days, it may be not as severe than if it comes in a few hours, which it could do," he said.

The forest service prepared in advance for the storms with an aerial mulching effort to drop a one-inch layer of straw over the burn area to stop the flow of water. Crabtree says there was also extensive road maintenance.

"Replacing culverts, expanding culverts, preparing the ditches, and maybe contouring fallen trees across to try to reduce the speed of the water and soil movement," he said.

Some roads may be too dangerous for traffic and have been closed off to the public completely. Crabtree says two areas of concern his crews are watching closely are White Meadows Road where several homes burned in the fire, and Eleven Pines Road.

"It's just a major access to a big part of the national forest, some private lands and some recreational areas," he said. "It's the only access on that side of the Rubicon River."

Crabtree says the rain is a welcome sight during this year's severe drought. However, it could continue to cause problems in burn areas for some time.

"It's just going to be a very unsafe place to be I think for several years..until this stabilizes. It's going to take years for vegetation to reestablish itself," he said.