CAJON PASS, CA. (Pain In The Pass) >> Tuesday morning November 8, 2022 at 9:33am, San Bernardino County Fire crews were dispatched to a reported swift water rescue at the intersection of Swarthout Canyon Road & Cajon Boulevard in the Cajon Pass. 911 callers stated that one vehicle was stuck in raging floodwaters. A full swift water rescue assignment was dispatched, including two SBCoFD specialized water rescue teams.
Firefighters arrived to find one vehicle with a male adult already on the roof stuck in fast moving water. The flash flood was multiple feet high which had caused the occupant to retreat to the roof.
As arriving crews set up for a rescue, the car was swept away. Downstream spotters monitored the vehicle’s path down the Cajon Pass. The car with the occupant on the roof traveled more than 1/8 of a mile before finally coming to rest along a bank. Once the vehicle stopped, firefighters threw a personal flotation device and tagline to the victim. Rescuers quickly entered the water, secured the victim and brought him to safety. Once removed he was treated by awaiting paramedics. Thankfully he was uninjured and declined transport. No firefighters were injured in the rescue.
San Bernardino County Fire responded with two engine companies, two Heavy Rescues, two Swift Water Units, a Battalion Chief and a Medic Ambulance.
Heavy rainfall can cause normally dry washes and riverbeds to become raging torrents in a very short amount of time, and it only takes as little as 12 inches of moving water to move a vehicle. Never cross a road that you can’t see due to it being covered by water. Remember, “Turn Around; Don’t Drown.”
Eric Sherwin, Public Information Officer (909) 547-5080
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