• U.S.
  • California

These Grim Photos Capture the Deadly Destruction of the Montecito Mudslides

1 minute read
Montecito California Mudslides
A muddy Mark Olson stands along Olive Mill Road in Montecito after trying to save his house after a major storm hit the burn area Tuesday January 9, 2018 in Montecito, California.Wally Skalij—LA Times via Getty Images
By Aric Jenkins
Updated: | Originally published: ;

Environmental tragedy struck Southern California once again Tuesday, this time in the form of deadly mudslides that poured over land torched in a historic wildfire last month and into several dozen homes in Montecito, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens more.

The mudslides were unleashed in the early morning hours by flash flooding around Montecito, a wealthy coastal enclave in Santa Barbara County. In the wake of a destruction, a search for survivors expanded Wednesday with assistance from Los Angeles County authorities, the Coast Guard, National Guard and local law enforcement, according to the Associated Press.

“I thought I was dead for a minute there,” a 14-year-old-girl trapped in her collapsed home could be heard saying in video posted by KNBC-TV upon her rescue.

Here are some of the scenes of the harrowing damage caused by mudslides throughout the area.

Heavy Rains Trigger Deadly Mudslides in Southern California
Mud and debris gather outside the Montecito Inn along Olive Mill Road in Montecito after a major storm hit the burn area January 9, 2018 in Montecito, California.Wally Skalij—LA Times via Getty Images
US-WEATHER-MUDSLIDES
Mud fills the interior of a car destroyed in a rain-driven mudslide in a neighborhood under mandatory evacuation in Burbank, California, January 9, 2018.ROBYN BECK—AFP/Getty Images
US-WEATHER-MUDSLIDES
A firefighter (in yellow) instructs journalists to retreat to safer ground after a rain-driven mudslide destroyed two cars and damaged property in a neighborhood under mandatory evacuation in Burbank, California, January 9, 2018.ROBYN BECK—AFP/Getty Images
Heavy Rains Trigger Deadly Mudslides in Southern California
A remote sits in the mud along along Olive Mill Road in Montecito after a major storm hit the burn area January 9, 2018 in Montecito, California.Wally Skalij—LA Times via Getty Images
Heavy Rain and Mudslides in Los Angeles
Residents look on as a man clears debris from a mudslide in Los Angeles, California on January 9, 2018. The deadly storm claimed the lives of 13 people in Santa Barbara County. Flash flooding also occurred in the recently burned areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.NurPhoto—NurPhoto via Getty Images
US-WEATHER-MUDSLIDES
Two cars washed downhill in a rain-driven mudslide are seen in a neighborhood under mandatory evacuation in Burbank, California, January 9, 2018. Mudslides unleashed by a ferocious storm demolished homes in southern California, authorities said Tuesday.ROBYN BECK—AFP/Getty Images

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com