Wrightwood Christmas Flood Ravages Mountain Town: 50 Homes Critically Damaged, Road to Mt. High Collapses

Wrightwood California, to residents and visitors, is a picturesque Christmas town. The streets are lined with log cabins and mountain-style homes. Businesses and residents cover their buildings with Christmas lights, and the spirit of the holidays permeates the air.

This community sits around 6,200 feet with a population under 5,000 residents. In the winter months, this small town nestled in the San Gabriel mountain range is usually blanketed with snow. However, Mother Nature seemed to have other plans this year for Christmas in Southern California.

Between ten and 11 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours on the already devastated soil of Wrightwood and its surrounding forests. In early September of last year, the “Bridge Fire” ripped through the Los Angeles National Forest, burning 56,030 acres in its nearly 3 month lifespan. This removed much of the healthy foliage and root systems that help prevent erosion.

Fast forward to Dec. 25th, 2025, where a massive coastal storm dumped an atmospheric river of moisture onto the town of Wrightwood. Very quickly, the top soil became over-saturated as the system of washes that drain water out to the high desert filled. Soon, the water level rose over the banks of the wash. This caused the deluge of water to make its own path through the streets.

Carrying with it organic and man-made debris. The new river system dragged itself through houses and roads soaking and burying everything in its path.

Ryan Beckers, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, stated that somewhere around 50 homes were severely damaged, along with an additional 20 homes showing moderate damage.

I spoke with long-time Wrightwood resident John Burcher as we watched the new river in his backyard sweep his back deck away into the distance. He told me in all his years of living here, he has never seen so much destruction. He lamented that if temperatures had been just a bit colder, all of this rain could have been snow.

This sentiment was carried by many Wrightwood residents. Brittney Ladd, owner of local business, Traded Threads, said that the slow months of the summer are coasted through by how much tourism arrives in the winter months.

With several sections of the road to the local ski resort, Mt. High collapsed, it is unclear whether winter tourists will be able to make it up to indulge in Los Angeles’s closest winter ski resort.

However, residents are much more concerned with the amount of damage that has been done to their town and homes.

With road collapses, home damage, loss of property and raw water damage, the community of Wrightwood is reeling from this latest natural disaster.

In this tight-knit community, spirits are still surprisingly high despite this setback. Many residents were seen pitching in to clean up debris and restore access to the road for those trapped on the northern side of the wash that runs the length of the town.

The upcoming days will show how much can be restored for those affected in this Christmas flood.

For the affected members of the community, resources are available. The Wrightwood Community Center is distributing bottled water, coffee and a charging station for those without power. A shelter at Serrano High School was open to the public for people and small pets; but has since been changed to the Phelan Pinion Hills Community Services District and the Wrightwood Community Center.

The Red Cross is also available via phone assistance at 800-733-2767.

Local businesses also pitched in. Pizzas were provided free of charge to residents by “Mile High Pizza”. Free sandwiches were also given out by the “Wrightwood Brew Co.”

With plenty of readily available resources, and a community that is banding together to clean up the aftermath. This community will be able to bounce back quickly from this devastating Christmas flood.

This article was written by Chaffey College Student and Wrightwood Resident Maximilian Morici.