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Motorists were rescued from vehicles that were under downed power lines for about two hours in Marana after a swift storm toppled 30 utility poles in the town Tuesday afternoon.
Tucson Electric Power Co. crews shut down the power to the lines on 10 poles shortly after 4 p.m., said Captain Adam Goldberg of Northwest Fire District.
Crews helped 11 people inside five cars and the driver of one school bus, which was empty, said Sgt. Chris Warren of the Marana Police Department. The motorists were trapped on West Twin Peaks Road and Quarry Road, near the CAP station.
Authorities are asking motorists to avoid the area.
"We had phone contact with all the people, and each one of them is OK," Warren said. "We instructed them to stay in their vehicles until we could get to them, said Warren before the power was turned off.
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In addition to the 10 TEP poles, 20 Trico Electric Cooperative power poles were also toppled in Marana during the storm, which also uprooted trees, said Roberta Lopez-Sutter, a Trico Electric Cooperative spokeswoman.
The storm passed through Marana starting at about 2:30 p.m. and left 1,300 people without power until 4 p.m., said Lopez-Sutter. "The electrical power was rerouted so service could be restored to customers.
On Wednesday, crews are expected to begin replacing downed utility poles on Tangerine Road, Lopez-Sutter said.
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