Montecito to mark first anniversary of deadly debris flows

A remembrance ceremony will mark the first anniversary of the massive, deadly debris flow that ravaged Montecito.

Participants plan to gather Wednesday evening at a park and begin a candlelight procession to all Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, where there will be a bell-ringing ceremony.

In the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 9, 2018, a Pacific storm unleashed a tremendous downpour on the vast burn scar of the Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties northwest of Los Angeles.

Massive torrents carrying huge boulders, mud and debris roared down from coastal mountains and through Montecito to the shoreline.

More than 100 homes were destroyed and hundreds more were damaged.

Twenty-three people were killed, including two children whose bodies were never found.

The National Weather Service says rainfall Wednesday will be light.