By Manisha Sahu, America News World | September 20, 2025
Sudden, intense rainfall east of Los Angeles has triggered deadly mudslides and flash floods, causing widespread damage, road closures, and the tragic death of a 2-year-old boy. The powerful storm, fueled by remnants of Tropical Storm Mario, left mountain communities in San Bernardino County reeling on Thursday and Friday.
A Storm Turns Deadly
Authorities confirmed that a 2-year-old drowned after floodwaters swept away his family’s vehicle in Barstow late Thursday night. According to city officials, the child’s father was also pulled into the torrent but managed to survive after being rescued. The boy’s body was recovered on Friday morning.
Elsewhere in San Bernardino County, mudslides roared down steep hillsides, overwhelming roads and trapping drivers. Ten people traveling in at least six vehicles were rescued along State Route 38 near Jenks Lake, a winding mountain road linking inland cities with the popular Big Bear Lake resort area. Officials described hours-long rescue efforts as vehicles were surrounded by mud, rocks, and debris.
Christopher Prater, spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, said no additional injuries or missing persons were reported in that area. However, he cautioned that “the community has been impacted fairly significantly. How bad, we don’t know yet.”
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Communities in the Path of Destruction
The mudslides primarily affected the small mountain towns of Forest Falls, Oak Glen, and Potato Canyon, where roads were blocked and homes sustained significant damage. In Forest Falls, one residence had massive tree trunks hurled into its yard, piled so high they reached the roofline.
This is not the first time Forest Falls has suffered from natural disasters. Just three years ago, the same community was devastated by mudslides, only two years after wildfires burned away vegetation that once stabilized the soil. Those burn scars remain a critical factor in why the region is prone to fast-moving slides during intense rainfall.
‘The Road Was Gone in Seconds’
Residents and travelers shared harrowing accounts of the storm. Kael Steel, a motorist who had been driving down the mountain from Big Bear, told local station KNBC-TV that the rain quickly turned violent.
“Suddenly we started seeing rocks and stuff coming down the side of the mountain,” Steel said. He explained that cars ahead were turning around, warning him that the road was impassable. When he tried to backtrack, he encountered more blockages.
In a chilling moment, he recalled turning around once more—only to find that the road he had just driven over minutes earlier had been completely washed away. “There’s no road there anymore,” he said.
Record Rainfall in a Short Span
Meteorologists from the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that the storm delivered far more rainfall than the region typically experiences. Forest Falls recorded 1.5 inches of rain in just one hour, followed by another half inch soon after—nearly two inches within two hours.
“That amount of rain, falling at such intensity in a flood-prone location, is just an unfortunate event,” said Kyle Wheeler, an NWS meteorologist based in San Diego. Typically, summer thunderstorms in the region drop only about half an inch of rain per hour. Thursday’s rainfall was four times that rate.
The rapid downpour overwhelmed drainage systems and destabilized the soil, leading to mudslides that left entire stretches of highway unusable.
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Emergency Response and Evacuation Warnings
The California Highway Patrol confirmed Friday that State Route 38 remained closed while crews worked to assess and clear the damage. Hillside inspections are underway to determine whether further slides could threaten communities.
San Bernardino County fire officials issued evacuation warnings for the mountain areas most affected, urging residents to remain on alert with more storms forecast. By Friday evening, however, the sheriff’s office announced that the warnings had been lifted as conditions temporarily improved.
Still, local leaders warned that further rainfall could renew the risk of flash flooding and mudslides, particularly in areas with wildfire burn scars.
A History of Vulnerability
Southern California’s geography makes it especially prone to mudslides following wildfires. When vegetation burns, the soil loses stability, leaving slopes bare and unable to absorb heavy rainfall. With the remnants of Tropical Storm Mario delivering intense downpours, those vulnerabilities turned into deadly conditions.
The region has experienced similar disasters in the past. In 2022, mudslides destroyed dozens of homes in Forest Falls and Oak Glen. In earlier decades, catastrophic debris flows have claimed multiple lives across the San Bernardino Mountains.
Grieving a Community Tragedy
For Barstow residents, the tragedy of a child’s drowning underscored the storm’s human toll. Authorities described the father as devastated, though grateful to have survived. Neighbors and city leaders expressed condolences to the family, emphasizing the unpredictable and dangerous nature of flash floods.
“This is a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly conditions can change during heavy storms,” officials said in a statement. “We urge all residents to take warnings seriously and avoid flooded roadways.”
Looking Ahead
With cleanup efforts underway, San Bernardino County now faces the challenge of repairing damaged infrastructure and providing relief to affected families. Emergency crews are working to clear roads, restore access to remote communities, and assess structural damage to homes.
While the storm has passed, meteorologists caution that Southern California could see more rain in the coming days as atmospheric instability lingers. Residents in mountain and canyon communities are urged to remain vigilant and prepared for possible evacuations.
As the county reckons with the destruction, many are left reflecting on the fragile balance between California’s natural beauty and its growing vulnerability to extreme weather. The loss of a young life has turned this latest disaster into not just a story of damaged property, but of a community mourning and bracing for what might come next.
