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Okanogan County experiences severe flash flood, mudslide

Emergency management says the mudslide happened in a burn scar area as it came down through Lightning Creek. Two houses were damaged in the mudslide.

TONASKET, Wash. — Emergency management in Okanogan County is currently working to clear debris from a severe flash flood and mudslide that hit Friday afternoon.

Emergency management says the mudslide happened in a burn scar area as it came down through Lightning Creek. Witnesses say the water was 10 to 15 feet high through the narrow part of the channel. The slide reportedly took down a lot of trees, moving over a forest service road before fanning out.

Okanogan County Emergency Manager Maurice sent photo's of the damage to KREM 2 news. 

The mudslide slammed into two houses and pushed outbuildings up to one of the houses. An elderly couple was in one of the houses, but received no injuries. The family in the other house also received no injuries.

Okanogan EM Manager Maurice Goodall says he was walking in mud up to his knees to get to the roadway.

"There's quite a bit of damage," Goodall said.

Bonaparte Lake Road is blocked at milepost 2. Power was knocked out to roughly 15 houses, but emergency management says power should be restored at this point.

No injuries have been reported so far.

This is a developing news story and we will provide more updates as they become available.

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