More mudslides could pose a problem in Northstate areas impacted by wildfires - KRCRTV.COM

Rain hitting Highway 70 in Butte County.

REDDING, Calif. —

Amidst winter weather conditions, Caltrans is also concerned with mudslides in fire scarred areas.

Road conditions can change very quickly. Highways that may have been open when you left home may have chain restrictions or may have closed while you were traveling or at work.

Two mudslides covered Highway 70 Sunday night into Monday morning. The highway was down to one-way traffic control Monday morning as Caltrans worked to clear mud.

Crews have been working tirelessly on tree removal, culvert repair and irrigation work to try and lesson the potential for mudslides but Caltrans representative, Chris Woodward, says they're expecting to see slides in burn scared and canyon areas.

"If you are in a canyon area, somewhere like [Highway] 299 or 70, even without the wildfires in those areas you get the potential for debris just from the steepness of the slopes down to the highways. Be cognizant when you're out there, especially in the burned scarred areas. If you see debris, don't go through until it's deemed safe," Woodward said.

Routes of high concern are Highway 299 where the Carr Fire burned, Interstate 5 which was largely hit by the Delta Fire and as we saw Sunday night, Highway 70 due to the Camp Fire.

There a few things you can do before you leave the house:

Check your brakes, battery, windshield wipers, defroster, heater, headlights, and exhaust system to make sure they are in good, working condition.
Check your tire pressure when tires are cold. If the tread on your tires is low, it may be time to get new tires.
Pack chains, a small ice scraper, shovel, flashlight, warm blankets, water, non-perishable food items, and a cell phone.
Check the weather conditions beforehand.

Motorists can always get information on highway conditions from the Caltrans District 2 Twitter page or by clicking here.

The District 2 hotline, updated with closures, incidents, and other situations is (530) 225-3452.

For areas with no cell service, drivers can tune to the 1610 AM station and Changeable Message System boards updated by Caltrans will also alert motorists.

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