Tucson Fire responded to multiple swift-water calls Monday night, with three incidents happening in less than half an hour. At 4:47 p.m., crews responded to Calle Betelgeux and South Avenida Sirio for an occupied vehicle in moving water. Crews found the driver sitting on top of the vehicle. The crew from Ladder 9 used the aerial ladder to safely rescue the driver. At 5:01 p.m., crews responded to North Alamo Avenue and East Rosewood Street for a report of a submerged vehicle being swept toward Speedway Boulevard with someone still inside. The driver was then swept down the Alamo Wash. The first two crew members on scene were able to pull the driver from the water with help from a neighbor. The driver was transported to a local hospital. At 5:12 p.m., crews were called to the area behind TMC near Grant Road and Wyatt Drive for a report of a person being actively swept away. The person was able to climb out of the water with help from security guards and transported to a local hospital. ⚠️REMINDER! These calls happened quickly, all in less than 30 minutes, highlighting how fast conditions can become dangerous during heavy rain. Never drive or walk through moving or flooded water. Turn around and find another route. Even shallow, fast-moving water can sweep away a vehicle or a person.
Video courtesy of Tucson Fire Department.
Tucson Fire crews pulled a driver from a submerged vehicle in the Alamo Wash during one of several swift water rescues as a monsoon storm hit Tucson late Monday afternoon.
Crews were called to North Alamo Avenue and East Rosewood Street about 5 p.m. for a report of a vehicle being swept toward Speedway with someone still inside, the Tucson Fire Department said on X.
"The driver was then swept down the Alamo Wash. The first two crew members on scene were able to pull the driver from the water with help from a neighbor," the department said.
The driver was taken to a hospital; no information was released on the person's condition.
In two other rescues Monday:
• Crews were sent to Calle Betelgeux and South Avenida Serio about 4:45 p.m. because of an occupied vehicle in moving water. They found the driver sitting on top of the vehicle. The crew from Tucson Fire's Ladder 9 used an aerial ladder to safely rescue the driver, the department said.
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• At 5:12 p.m., crews were called to the area behind Tucson Medical Center near Grand Road and Wyatt Drive for a report of a person being swept away. The person was able to climb out of the water with help from security guards, Tucson Fire said in its X post.
"These calls happened quickly, all in less than 30 minutes, highlighting how fast conditions can become dangerous during heavy rain," the department's post said. "Never drive or walk through moving or flooded water. Turn around and find another route. Even shallow, fast-moving water can sweep away a vehicle or a person."
Tucson Electric Power's outage map showed several storm-related power outages Monday evening, including in the northwest-side's Casas Adobes area, in Tucson’s east side, and near the south-side's Summit area.
Commuters' social media posts warned of a snapped power line at Broadway and Pantano.
A Tucson firefighter waves his arms to signal an operator to get a ladder closer to a man rescued Monday evening from a flooded wash.
Also, Saguaro National Park reported that due to damage from flash flooding during a downpour over the weekend, its Tucson Mountains unit has closed sections of two roads pending repairs. They are Hohokam Road between Hugh Norris Trail Head and Golden Gate Road and Golden Gate Road between Signal Hill Junction and Sendero Esperanza.
Earlier Monday, the National Weather Service issued an excessive rainfall outlook through Thursday for portions of southeast Arizona. Tuesday is expected to be quiet but Wednesday could bring thunderstorms north from Sonora and across southeast Arizona, the weather service says.
Tucson's rainfall so far in the monsoon season, which began June 15 and ends Sept. 30, is running about normal at close to 5 inches total in the official measurements recorded at Tucson Internatonal Airport, while rainfall levels in Sierra Vista and Nogales are significantly above normal, a weather service graphic shows.
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