An atmospheric river buffeted the Sierra Nevada with several inches of rain and feet of snow on Monday, sidelining firefighters who were forced to shelter in place to avoid potential mudslides and floods while battling the KNP Complex and Windy fires.
The massive storm system could be a mixed blessing for fire managers hoping that the torrential downpour will extinguish flames lingering in the heaviest and longest-burning fuels.
"The best-case scenario, in a perfect world, is the rain would be able to get into those [heavy fuels] and really help us [with] putting out the fire, putting out the heat," said Kimberly Kashlak, fire information officer, California Incident Management Team 12.