Holy Fire burn area evacuation orders canceled as SoCal storm moves out

Friday, February 1, 2019
Holy Fire burn area under evacuations amid incoming storm
Families living in the Holy Fire burn area in Lake Elsinore are being asked to evacuate their homes as the latest storm moves in Thursday morning.

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (KABC) -- Families living in the Holy Fire burn area in Lake Elsinore were placed under evacuation orders Thursday and then they were canceled by the evening hours as a storm moved out of the region.

K-rails, as well as other heavy equipment, were set up in case of any possible debris flow or mudslides caused by the rain.

RELATED: SoCal burn areas preparing for another round of rain, possible flooding

A number of neighborhoods are under mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders.

A care and reception center is open at Elsinore High School, located at 21800 Canyon Drive in Wildomar. Call (951) 940-6985 for more information.

The first round of rain, which arrived in the Inland Empire at about 10 a.m., was not expected to be the heaviest in comparison to another storm coming in over the weekend.

Residents were prepared with plenty of sandbags and K-rails around their homes to prevent weather-related problems.

MORE: Mud roars down road near Rice Canyon Elementary School

Stunning video shows a torrent of mud and debris roaring down a road near an elementary school in Lake Elsinore as heavy rain soaked the area Thursday.

The Holy Fire burned through about 23,000 acres in the Cleveland National Forest in Orange and Riverside counties in August 2018. The flames stripped hillsides bare, leaving them less able to absorb the flow of water, and leading to an increased danger of mudslides and debris flows.