TFD Rescues Driver On Hood, Teen In Wash In Heavy Tucson Rainfall

TUCSON, AZ – The uncharacteristically heavy rainfall that parts of Tucson received Tuesday morning necessitated two water rescues by the Tucson Fire Department Tuesday afternoon.

TFD was first dispatched at 12:30 p.m. to S. Wilmot Road, about 4 miles south of the Public Safety Academy and Tucson Fire Station 6. When firefighters arrived, they found a vehicle in water slightly off of the road’s west side, with the driver on the vehicle’s hood. The vehicle had previously shifted somewhat from the road, but the car remained still during the rescue as the fire team lowered an aerial ladder for the driver to climb up on. The driver was uninjured, and the rescue was completed slightly after 1 p.m.

TFD was dispatched to the second water rescue scene Tuesday slightly after 1 p.m., in response to a 911 caller’s report of an individual holding on to vegetation to keep afloat in the flooded Pantano Wash near the Harrison Road dip. TFD Fire Station 12 arrived on scene and were guided by the 911 passerby caller, who directed them from Escalante east of Harrison to a location where firefighters could see the teen grasping shrubs in the wash as reported. Firefighters observed that the teen was conscious and able to answer their questions. The water had receded somewhat, enabling firefighters to walk in the water, attach a rope to the teen, and walk the youth to shore. The teen had minor leg scrapes but no other injuries. The rescue was completed shortly after 1:30 p.m., and the youth’s parents were contacted and asked to pick up their child at the scene.

The Tucson Fire Department reminds everyone to not attempt to cross or enter a wash with water running through it, as it is impossible to tell how fast the water is moving or how deep it is. This applies to vehicle drivers and to those on foot approaching wash channels. With more thunderstorms rolling in today, and a National Weather Service Tucson flash flood watch in effect through 5 a.m. Thursday, water runoff in washes is still a risk, said TFD PIO Jessica Nolte. “Be sure to pay constant attention to your surroundings, and we cannot stress this enough: Turn around, don’t drown,” Nolte concluded.