When hills are healthy, vegetation anchors soil in place. But when that vegetation is burned off, hillsides become vulnerable to erosion, and slopes can come crashing down.

Portions of Los Angeles County are getting socked by debris flow and mudslides amid pounding rain Thursday night. Newsweek reached out to the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) via email for comment.

A monster rainstorm was drenching southern California on Thursday, with officials in Los Angeles readying for flooding and landslides in areas burned by last month's huge wildfires.