Earth

Another danger looms after the LA fires: Devastating debris flows

Charred soil and roots prime the region for these torrents of mud and rock

A wrecked house is in the background, while mud fills the foreground

Soils burned by the Los Angeles wildfires have become more prone to landslides, such as the minor slide that split this house in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, as well as fast-moving torrents of rock, mud and water called debris flows.

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

By Nikk Ogasa

The Los Angeles wildfires were still burning when scientists started scouting the freshly charred burn scars to search for signs of another danger that’s yet to come — roaring torrents of rock and mud and water that can sweep downhill with deadly momentum.