An estimated 1,500 hundred residents of a California city ravaged by recent wildfires were ordered to evacuate Wednesday as heavy rain pummeled the region, sparking fears of mudslides, officials said.

A mandatory evacuation notice went into effect at around 2:00 am (1000 GMT) Tuesday in three neighborhoods of Yorba Linda, southeast of Los Angeles, as a storm front dumped around 1.5 inches of rain on parts of Southern California.

No mudslides have occurred, the Orange County Fire Authority confirmed. The evacuation followed a warning of flash floods by the National Weather Service.

The torrential rain had eased by 8:00 am but further showers were forecast, the weather service said.

Yorba Linda was hit by fires which erupted on November 15 and swept across the region, destroying or damaging over 300 residences and burning more than 30,000 acres (12,100 hectares) before being contained.