Photos: Deadly mudslides in southern California

At least 13 people have died after mudslides in Southern California, the Los Angeles Times reports. After last month’s wildfires cleared stabilizing vegetation from hillsides, strong rains turned the remainder into devastating mud flows yesterday.

Mudslides particularly affected wealthy areas such as Montecito and Santa Barbara, where many celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, have homes.

Locals described the sound of the approaching mudslide to the AP:

Thomas Tighe said he stepped outside his Montecito home in the middle of the night and heard “a deep rumbling, an ominous sound I knew was … boulders moving as the mud was rising.”