A storm passed through Tucson Tuesday morning that was responsible for approximately 75 weather related calls for the Tucson Fire Department. Of the 75 calls, 8 were for swift water rescues, and approximately 45 were for stranded vehicles stuck in water at various locations around the city.
The most serious of the swift water calls took place near Ft. Lowell and Oracle as an SUV was swept about an 1/8 of a mile down a wash and ended up being pinned against the concrete bridge area that passes underneath Oracle Road. This was exactly where Pima County Supervisor Bronson encountered the same bridge a few weeks earlier. Unlike the Bronson rescue, there is no indication that the motorist was uncooperative or suspected to have been drinking.
Firefighters had just cleared several calls in the area for stranded motorists and were on scene very quickly. The water was up the windshield level of the SVU as crews arrived. The driver side was pinned against the bridge and the passenger side was taking the full force of the water so crews had to break open the rear window of the vehicle and pull the occupant out of the back. The occupant was checked out on scene and did not require any medical care.
The majority of the water related calls were on the west side of the city, ranging from roughly Country Club to I-10 and from Congress to Prince. While there were several close calls, there were no injuries reported from any of the incidents that crews responded to.
Safety Message: During the monsoon season, washes can rise very quickly. Here are some tips for safety:
- Most flash flood deaths occur in vehicles
- Moving water 1-2 feet deep will carry away most vehicles and can knock a person off their feet
- Keep children away from creeks and washes when heavy rain is in the area
- Be especially careful at night when water depth and road conditions are harder to see