Wrightwood's Highway 2 is impassable as debris and mud flows, evacuation warnings are in place

Flooding, mud and debris flow continue to worsen on Wednesday afternoon in Wrightwood, as relentless rain has made the mountainous Highway 2 impassable. 

The highway leading into Wrightwood is washed out due to flooding, with evacuation and safety warnings in place as crews work to get the situation in the area under control, according to San Bernardino County Fire.

San Bernardino County Public Information Officer Chris Prater commented on a video posted to X showing mud and debris rushing over Highway 2, and said that is just one of many such situations occurring across Wrightwood.

"Right now, Highway 2 is impassible due to multiple debris flows, and there is some heavy flooding in the area," Prater said.

He said around 7:30 a.m., crews were receiving reports of flooding and debris flow, and there were reports of homes being impacted. He could not confirm at this time if homes were actually impacted, as crews are working to control damage.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has issued an evacuation warning for the town of Wrightwood, everything from Pine Street up to the Los Angeles County line, Prater said.

"We are asking people to stay away from the area," Prater said, as the priority is life safety, with a focus on protecting the residents. 

He said that, with the resources already in place and the request for additional resources, the hope is to get things under control quickly. "This was expected. We have been in the planning stages for this storm for at least a week now with our cooperating agencies at OES and other fire agencies," he said.

Janice Quick, the Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce president and 50-year resident, said she has heard of many people in the community concerned about their homes. One friend of hers has a foot of water inside his home.

"I've seen some heavy rain, but I've never seen rain last this long, as far as the heaviness and this amount of rain -- and of course because of our fire, we've got a lot of mud and debris flow," Quick said. The Bridge Fire ravaged the area in 2024. 

She said most people are choosing to shelter in place, as Highway 2 is closed and other roads are impacted by mud and debris.

Fire crews are requesting three additional engines, hand crews, a dozer, and a swift water rescue unit.

Dr. Ariel Cohen, with the National Weather Service, warned that things could get worse in the next couple of hours for the Wrightwood area in the San Gabriel Mountains.

"We are closely monitoring central Los Angeles County, north of downtown over the San Gabriel Mountains, and nearby valleys and westward toward areas around the San Fernando Valley, the Santa Monica Mountains – think of that as an arch around the higher terrain- that corridor is where we will see the greatest amount of wind damage as well as extreme, really high rain fall amounts and flooding, and we expect that to worsen in the next couple of hours," Cohen said Wednesday morning. 

A Care and Reception Center has been established for evacuees at Serrano High School, 9292 Sheep Creek Rd., Phelan.