GOLETA, Calif. (AP) — Rain is falling on Southern California coastal mountains scorched by a wildfire this week.
Heavy rain fell in pre-dawn hours Wednesday in the rugged San Ynez Mountains above the cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta, but the rain is now lighter.
KEYT-TV reports there is still the smell of smoke in the fire area.
The fire erupted Monday afternoon and forced thousands of residents to flee as it grew to about 6.7 square miles (17.3 square kilometers).
Most of those evacuees have been allowed to return home, but Santa Barbara County late Tuesday warned residents in and below the burn area to be prepared to leave in case of debris flows from the storm.
In January 2018, the Santa Barbara-area community of Montecito was ravaged by debris flows from freshly burned slopes, killing 23 people.