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Evacuation order lifted in Azusa

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Mandatory evacuations were lifted for Ridge View Drive in Azusa shortly before noon Sunday, authorities said.

“City crews have been working diligently at removing the debris and mud which flowed onto Ridge View Drive,” according to a statement from the Azusa Police Department. “They will continue to work aggressively at returning the neighborhood to its normal condition.”

On Saturday morning, a wave of mud from an unstable hillside surged over a retaining wall and buried the backyard of one house on Ridge View Drive while sending a river of mud and debris flowing down the street. Homeowner Ed Henlein, whose family had evacuated a day earlier, said that his property probably suffered tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

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“We’ve got to find a way to get the 100 tons of mud out of my backyard,” he said.

Evacuations for Glendora and Monrovia were lifted earlier. The 2,000-acre Colby fire in the San Gabriel Mountains in January left foothill neighborhoods vulnerable to flooding and mudslides.

Meanwhile, a section of Highway 39, which had been closed due to excessive mud on the roadway, was also reopened to traffic Sunday.

As the storm moves out of the Los Angeles area, there was still a light chance of scattered showers, but nothing significant, said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Some light showers this evening will be the last rain through the upcoming week and will give way to a nice warming trend, he said.

As for the Oscars, those strolling down the red carpet won’t need to run for cover Sunday night. It will be a bit chilly, but “if anything falls from the sky, it will be light sprinkles at worst,” Thompson said.

“A couple of days ago, it would have been a disaster,” he said.

samantha.schaefer@latimes.com

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