Road crews worked to clear a mudslide that blocked the right eastbound lane of the Gene Snyder Freeway near mile marker 9 just past the National Turnpike exit on Friday, April 4, 2025.
Oak Glen, California – Southern California was hit hard this week as heavy rain sent torrents of mud, rocks, and downed trees sweeping through communities in the San Bernardino Mountains, overwhelming roads, damaging homes, and trapping drivers. What started as a typical late-summer storm quickly became a reminder of how fragile life in these steep canyons can be when weather turns severe.
The mudslides struck Forest Falls, Oak Glen, and Potato Canyon on Thursday, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District. In some spots, walls of mud and debris buried entire stretches of roadway. On state Route 38, near Jenks Lake in the San Bernardino National Forest, a group of about ten people in six vehicles found themselves stranded on both sides of the destruction. They were cut off in both directions, unable to move forward or turn back. Fire officials said the group was safe, and emergency crews were working to assess their needs.
By Friday morning, Route 38 remained closed, with the California Highway Patrol cautioning drivers to avoid the area entirely. Crews were still working to clear debris and assess just how much damage had been done. Despite the chaos, fire officials said there were no reports of injuries or missing people—a small measure of relief after such a harrowing day.
The National Weather Service had issued flash flood warnings ahead of the storm, and Thursday’s rainfall proved those warnings well-founded. The combination of dry, fire-scarred slopes and sudden heavy downpours is a recipe for disaster in Southern California, where erosion can turn a hillside into a moving wall of earth in minutes.
San Bernardino County Fire officials said they were preparing for “a full operational period” Friday. Their priorities include damage assessments, supporting residents whose homes were hit, and shoring up critical infrastructure. That work is happening in tandem with Cal Fire, Caltrans, and other state agencies. It’s an all-hands effort to stabilize the area and make sure people can safely return to their neighborhoods.
For many residents, though, it will take longer than a few days for life to return to normal. Mudslides don’t just block roads; they can choke off access to food, medicine, and work. They can undermine foundations, sweep away possessions, and leave families staring at mounds of earth where their homes once stood. Even in a place used to extremes—fire, flood, drought—this kind of damage takes time to mend.
Southern California’s storms come and go quickly. The scars they leave behind tend to linger.
