PHOTO - Emergency crews shoveled mud from a section of Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles after flash flood debris blocked the important roadway, stranded hundreds of vehicles, and forced some motorists to take refuge on top of their cars.
Excavator trucks scooped and hauled away mud in the darkness Thursday night with the cleanup expected to continue well into Friday, leaving thousands of drivers searching for alternative routes.
About 15 cars remained wedged in the debris and needed to be towed out.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries from the flooding Thursday at Fort Tejon, about 75 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, brought on by a storm system that produced heavy rainfall across a wide swath of the region. A second highway was closed Thursday night following a separate mudslide. And a number of secondary roads were left impassable from mud and some residents were trapped in their homes.