Mudslide protection moving from Glendora to Burbank burn area

GLENDORA, Calif. (KABC) -- For nearly four years, some residents in Glendora haven't been able to park in front of their homes. K-rails line 19 streets except for driveways, in place to protect against mudslides in the Colby Fire burn area.

"It's ugly. It's in the way. It takes away from the yard and you need to walk around it when you're on the sidewalk," said resident Leif Erikson,

Erikson and his family have lived in their home for 40 years. Rain storms following the 2014 Colby Fire could have brought mud pouring down their street. Erikson said that didn't happen.

"We only had a couple bad rainstorms that have brought water down since the three years since that fire, so there hasn't been too much. Not as serious as they said it would be as far as flooding and mudslides," said Erikson.

The city of Glendora received nearly $500,000 from the federal government following the Colby Fire to pay for the two miles of K-rails.

"They were part of mitigation efforts to help control the run-off from the hillsides. the debris, the mud, and the water that comes through to keep them off the property and keep people safe. They have fulfilled their mission perfectly," said Glendora City Manager Chris Jeffers.

Jeffers said the vegetation in the hills has grown back. Ninety percent of the K-rails will be removed Tuesday. They're headed to Burbank to protect neighborhoods in the shadows of the burned hillsides from the La Tuna Canyon Fire.

"We're just passing along that generosity of the federal government helping us, to helping Burbank," said Jeffers.