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A vehicle washed downstream in Alamo Wash is south of the bridge on Fort Lowell Road after a heavy storm hit the Tucson area early Friday. Tucson firefighters rescued the woman from the water after the rushing water carried her car towards the Rillito River, starting on Sahuara Avenue and Waverly Street.
Rick Wiley, Arizona Daily Star
A Tucson firefighter was briefly washed away in a rush wash early Friday morning along with the woman he was trying to rescue, officials say.
Both the firefighter and the woman are fine.
The incident began just after 1 a.m. when crews were called to the Alamo Wash near East Waverly Street and North Sahuara Avenue south of East Grant Road to help a motorist trapped in the rushing water, battalion chief Barrett said Baker.
Firefighters, including Baker, followed the woman as her vehicle was swept through the car wash. She finally had to get out when the white Chevy sedan filled with water.
Rescue workers caught up with her near the bridge on East Fort Lowell Road, where the woman “was held on to a tree for her life,” Baker said.
The power of the water attracted a firefighter who tried to reach the woman.
“We had slogans on them, which is basically a rope that they’re connected to, but the power of water is pushing them so far and so fast,” said Baker. “It’s like a tug of war that you lose.”
Firefighters farther downstream who caught the pair before they broke up.
Both the firefighter and the woman got out of the running car wash and went to safety at the wash benches.
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