Dangerous thunderstorms trigger massive mud flow in northern LA County
LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- Severe flooding and thunderstorms in north Los Angeles County left cars stuck in a major mud flow in areas including Lancaster, Green Valley, Lake Hughes and more.
Crews worked to free vehicles that were trapped in mud in and around Castaic, Lancaster and other areas in the county throughout the afternoon Thursday.
"It's so bad, it's like a lake," said John Hall at Ruben's Bar and Grill in Lancaster. "This is wild and it's not only dirty water, I have no idea what's in this water."
In Green Valley, cars were stuck in a deep mud flow along San Francisquito Canyon and Lake Hughes roads.
Water was rushing down near cars traveling just north of Castaic, causing a portion of the canyon to shut down and Lake Hughes to get washed out.
Due to the downpour in the areas, northbound and southbound lanes of the 5 Freeway were blocked by the flooding, according to the California Highway Patrol, and crews were expected to work overnight.
Areas throughout Palmdale and Quartz Hill also underwent severe flooding and experienced large chunks of hail pouring onto homes.
Cars were submerged in mud on Elizabeth Lake Road, where authorities rescued several people. The road was shut down due to the mud. Multiple homes in the Lake Elizabeth area were also flooded by mud. A trailer was seen damaged and turned over on its side from the water flow.
The fast-moving water turned some roads into rivers but that didn't stop some vans and pickup trucks from driving on through. One woman was seen wading her way through knee-high water to dry ground.
Residents were also helping others caught in the river of mud, using shovels, heavy chains and other equipment.
There were reports of some horses that became stuck in the mud. During the effort to get the animals out, somebody suffered a heart attack. That person's condition was not immediately known. No other injuries were reported.
According to the National Weather Service, a flash flood watch was in effect Thursday night for Friday afternoon and early evening across the mountains of southwest California and the Antelope Valley.
