Rain helps Southern California firefighters but sends ash and mud flowing down hillsides

Rain is easing after Southern California’s first significant storm of the season brought weekend downpours that aided firefighters but caused ash, mud and debris to flow across streets in wildfire-burned areas. Less than an inch of rain fell in most areas. Still, it was enough to loosen Los Angeles hillsides charred by the recent blaze near the Pacific Palisades, where crews working before dawn cleared inundated roadways including the famed Pacific Coast Highway. In neighboring Malibu, four schools were closed on Monday due to dangerous road conditions. North of Los Angeles, snowy conditions shut down the mountainous Tejon Pass section of Interstate 5.