California braces as fierce storm batters fire-ravaged hillsides

Evacuations ordered in about 115 Los Angeles area homes as heavy rain and wind raise fears of mudslides and flooding

A rare October storm arrived in California on Tuesday and threatened to pummel wildfire-scarred Los Angeles neighborhoods with heavy rain, high winds and possible mudslides. Some homes were ordered to evacuate.

The evacuations covered about 115 homes mostly in Pacific Palisades and Mandeville Canyon, both struck by a massive inferno in January that killed more than 30 people in all and destroyed more than 17,000 homes and buildings in Los Angeles county.