LOS ANGELES (Reuters) Mudslides touched off by torrential rains poured down onto upscale neighborhoods in the fire-scarred foothills above Los Angeles on Saturday, damaging dozens of homes and destroying some of them.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported, but residents had little or no warning when a wall of mud, rock and debris came crashing down sometime after 4 a.m. PST, carrying off crushed cars and leaving a path of destruction.

Authorities worked to clear the mud-choked streets and ordered more than 500 homes evacuated because more rain was expected through Saturday night and, with catch basins full, the hillsides remained dangerously unstable.

In all, 41 homes suffered moderate to heavy damage, a Los Angeles County Fire spokesman said. Five were tagged by inspectors as uninhabitable and an additional seven were inundated with mud and rock.

The National Weather Service issued a high surf advisory for beaches across Los Angeles and Ventura County, forecasting waves up to 8 feet, beach erosion and rip tides.