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San Bernardino County firefighters said Wednesday they rescued people trapped in their cars when mud and debris rushed down a road leading into Wrightwood, a mountain resort town in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. It’s not immediately clear how many were rescued.

Firefighters were also going door to door to check on residents, and the area was under a shelter in place order, local officials said.

Debris and mud were seen cascading down a local road in a video posted by county fire officials. Another video showed fast-moving water rushing through the front porch of several homes.

The storm stranded Dillan Brown with his wife and 14-month-old daughter at a rented cabin in Wrightwood on Wednesday with almost no food and only enough diapers for about another day. By the morning, the roads leading off the mountain — and to a grocery store — were already blocked by rocks and debris, Brown said.

“I came across (a road) where there was a car sucked away by the water and realized we were trapped here,” Brown said.

A local resident learned of his situation and posted a call for help in a Facebook group. In less than an hour, neighbors showed up with more than enough supplies to ride out the storm -- bread, vegetables, milk, diapers and wipes, he said.

“I think we’re a little sad and upset that we’re not going to be home with our families,” Brown said, but the “kindness shown is definitely an overwhelming feeling.”

A 2024 wildfire left the region with a lot of ground without tree coverage, said Janice Quick, president of the Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce who has lived in the mountain town for 45 years.

“All this rain is bringing down a lot of debris and a lot of mud from the mountain area,” she said.

Residents around the burn scar zones from in Orange County were also ordered to evacuate Wednesday morning.

Areas along the coast, including Malibu, were under flood warnings until Wednesday evening, local officials said. Much of the Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area were also under wind and flood advisories.

Heavy rain douses Southern California

Early Wednesday, the Los Angeles Fire Department rescued a man trapped in a drainage tunnel in northwest LA that led down to a river. No injuries were reported, but the man is being evaluated.

Several roadways across the regions were closed due to flooding.

Conditions could worsen as multiple move across the state during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. The storm in Los Angeles was expected to strengthen into Wednesday afternoon before tapering off later in the evening.

James Dangerfield, an 84-year-old Altadena resident, said his family and neighbor helped place sandbags in his backyard earlier this week. His neighborhood was under a flash flood warning as of Wednesday morning, but he wasn't too worried because his house is on a hill.

For now, he and his wife, Stephanie, planned on staying in the house and spending Christmas Eve with their two adult daughters and grandchildren.

“We’re just going to stay put and everybody will have to come to us. We’re not going to go anywhere," he said.

Mike Burdick, who takes care of his elderly parents in Altadena, said he ran out to buy more sandbags Wednesday morning when he saw that the pool was already overflowing. His parents live just a block under burn scars, he said.

“I literally woke up to just downpour,” he said.

The family was prepared to evacuate with a week’s worth of essentials for the family, including for their dog and cat. They’re planning to attend a nearby holiday party in the evening.

“We’re just going to make an appearance and get back safe to our animals,” he said.

Southern California typically gets half an inch to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 centimeters) of rain this time of year, but this week many areas could see between 4 and 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters), and even more in the mountains, ��ɫtv Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford said.

Much of California is under weather warnings

Forecasters also warned that heavy snow and gusts were expected to create “near white-out conditions” in parts of the Sierra Nevada and make it “nearly impossible” to travel through the mountain passes. As of Wednesday morning, there was also a “considerable” avalanche risk around Lake Tahoe, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center.

The ��ɫtv Weather Service said a winter storm warning would be in effect for the Greater Tahoe Region until Friday morning.

More than 125,000 people lost power as of Wednesday morning due to a damaged power pole, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.

California Highway Patrol was also investigating a seemingly weather-related fatal crash Wednesday morning south of Sacramento. The driver reportedly traveled at an unsafe speed, lost control of their vehicle on the wet roads and crashed into a metal power pole, CHP Officer Michael Harper said in an email.

San Francisco and Los Angeles airports reported some minor flight delays Wednesday morning.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday also declared state of emergency in six counties to allow state assistance in storm response.

transport moisture from the tropics to northern latitudes in long, narrow bands of water vapor that form over an ocean and flow through the sky.

The storm has already caused damage in Northern California, where flash flooding led to water rescues and , authorities said.

The state has deployed emergency resources and first responders to several coastal and Southern California counties, and the California ��ɫtv Guard remains on standby.

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Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Sacramento and Jessica Hill in Las Vegas contributed to this report.