Sudden heavy rain in Southern California unleashes mudslides, 2-year-old drowns in floodwaters

YUCAIPA, Calif. (AP) — Sudden heavy rain east of Los Angeles unleashed mudslides that plowed into homes and trapped drivers for hours on roadways while floodwaters swept away a vehicle carrying a father who was later rescued and his-2-year-old son who drowned, authorities said Friday.

Authorities rescued 10 people traveling in at least six vehicles who were stranded on state Route 38 in the area of Jenks Lake, near the San Bernardino National Forest, the fire district said. The route is narrow and winds through towering trees, curving back and forth up the mountainside and linking cities east of Los Angeles with the resort town of Big Bear Lake.

No one was hurt, and no one is reported missing, Christopher Prater, a public information officer for the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, said Friday.

Elsewhere in San Bernardino County, a 2-year-old boy drowned after his family’s vehicle was swept off the road by floodwaters Thursday night in Barstow, according to a statement from the city. The boy’s father was separated from his son as they were both swept away by the water, and he was later rescued, according to officials. The boy's body was found Friday.

The mudslides affected the tiny mountain communities of Forest Falls, Oak Glen and Potato Canyon, the county’s fire protection district said in a statement. One home in Forest Falls had giant tree trunks flung in its yard and piled so high they reached the roof.

Forest Falls was walloped by mudslides three years ago. That was just two years after wildfires ripped through the area, leaving burn scars, or areas where there is little vegetation to hold the soil.

Intense rains pounded the area for more than an hour Thursday afternoon as remnants of Tropical Storm Mario reached the mountainous region, the National Weather Service said.

Kael Steel told KNBC-TV he was driving down the mountain from Big Bear to head to an amusement park when the rain started pounding.

“Suddenly we started seeing rocks and stuff coming down the side of the mountain,” he said.

Steel said cars were turning around telling him the road was blocked. So he headed back up the mountain, but was blocked again. He turned around once more and said the road he had crossed 30 seconds earlier had been wiped away.

“There's no road there anymore,” he said.

The route was still closed as of Friday, the California Highway Patrol said.

Authorities planned to assess the hillside areas impacted by the slides to determine the extent of the damage.

“The community obviously has been impacted fairly significantly,” Prater said. “How bad, we don’t know yet.”

With the possibility of more storms forecast for Friday, San Bernardino County fire officials asked residents to stay alert, and an evacuation warning was in effect for mountain communities already impacted by Thursday’s storm. By Friday evening, the evacuation warning had been lifted, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's office said in a post on the social platform X.

Forest Falls saw 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) of rain fall in an hour, and another half inch (1.3 centimeters) after that — far more than the arid Southern California region usually sees, said Kyle Wheeler, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in San Diego.

The rain also fell much faster, Wheeler said, adding that the rainfall rates for summer thunderstorms in the region are more typically about a half inch (1.3 centimeters) per hour.

“They got almost two inches of rain in a two-hour time period,” Wheeler said. “The fact that it happened in such a flood-prone location is just an unfortunate event.”

Taxin reported from Santa Ana. Associated Press writer Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

Workers clean up the damage caused by mudslides after storms in Yucaipa, Calif., Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Workers clean up the damage caused by mudslides after storms in Yucaipa, Calif., Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Workers and residents clean up the damage caused by mudslides after storms in Yucaipa, Calif., Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Workers clean up the damage caused by mudslides after storms in Yucaipa, Calif., Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Residents clean up the damage caused by mudslides after storms in Yucaipa, Calif., Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

This photo provided by the San Bernardino County Fire Department shows damage caused by mudslides after storms in Forest Falls, Calif., on Thursday Sept. 18, 2025. (San Bernardino County Fire Department via AP)

This photo provided by the San Bernardino County Fire Department shows damage caused by mudslides after storms in Forest Falls, Calif., on Thursday Sept. 18, 2025. (San Bernardino County Fire Department via AP)

This photo provided by the San Bernardino County Fire Department shows damage caused by mudslides after storms in Forest Falls, Calif., on Thursday Sept. 18, 2025. (San Bernardino County Fire Department via AP)

CARY, N.C. (AP) — Clayton Kershaw isn't done pitching just yet, agreeing Thursday to join the U.S. team for this year's World Baseball Classic.

The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner wanted to pitch for the Americans in the 2023 tournament but was prevented because of insurance issues. He had a $20 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the time.

“I was too broken for the insurance to cover my arm and everything,” Kershaw said on MLB Network, “so now that it doesn't matter I get to go and be a part of this group.”

A left-hander who turns 38 two days after the March 17 championship game, Kershaw announced last September that he was retiring at the end of the season, his 18th in a stellar career for the Dodgers. He won his third World Series title and finished 223-96 with a 2.53 ERA and 3,052 strikeouts.

“I just want to be the insurance policy,” Kershaw said. “If anybody needs a breather or if they need me to pitch back-to-back-to-back or if they don’t need me to pitch at all, I’m just there to be there. I just want to be a part of this group.”

Later Thursday, new Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman announced he will join the U.S. team.

When Kershaw received a call from U.S. manager Mark DeRosa, he thought he was being invited as a coach.

“I didn't have a whole lot of interest in picking up a baseball again," Kershaw said. “I started throwing 10, 12 days ago and it doesn’t feel terrible, so I think I’ll be OK.”

Kershaw joins a U.S. pitching staff that includes right-handers David Bednar, Clay Holmes, Griffin Jax, Nolan McLean, Mason Miller, Joe Ryan, Paul Skenes and Logan Webb along with left-handers Tarik Skubal and Gabe Speier.

The American roster also includes catchers Cal Raleigh and Will Smith; infielders Ernie Clement, Gunnar Henderson, Brice Turang and Bobby Witt Jr.; outfielders Byron Buxton, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Aaron Judge; and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.

The U.S., which lost the 2023 championship game to Japan, opens March 6 against Brazil at Houston, part of a group that also includes Britain, Italy and Mexico.

Shohei Ohtani struck out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to end Japan's 3-2 win in the 2023 championship. Kershaw doesn't anticipate facing Ohtani, his teammate for the Dodgers' World Series titles in 2024 and 2025.

“I think something will have gone terribly wrong if I have to pitch against team Japan in the finals or something. I think we got plenty of guys to get that guy out and not me,” Kershaw said. “But if that happens, I'll be nervous. I'll be nervous at this point.”

AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw celebrates the end of the top of the 12th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of baseball's World Series, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)