Two men had to be rescued from their vehicle Monday morning after their car was swept off the road and into the rushing waters of San Marcos Creek.
CAL FIRE responded to the distress call at around 6:30 a.m. near Wellsona and San Marcos roads near Paso Robles.
“Came to find two subjects in the vehicle, still inside the vehicle, with it being mostly submerged,” said CAL FIRE Capt. Damien Juarez said.
Capt. Juarez said the men failed to pay attention to road closed signs along San Marcos Road.
Station 30 had already added more staffing in case a swift water rescue was needed at any point during the storm.
"We were able to wade out to them using some low water crossing techniques and make contact with them," Juarez said of the rescue. "They were able to walk and then we assisted them in walking back to the shore.”
Multiple agencies responded to the scene with the rescue taking about 40 minutes.
“Contact 911 and give a good description of what your location is, because that was part of the effort this morning was originally finding the two gentlemen because there are multiple water crossings on San Marcos Road," Juarez stressed.
Juarez says county crews marked unsafe low-water crossings late Sunday night and early Monday morning.
According to CAL FIRE PIO Toni Davis, three road closed signs were placed along San Marcos and Wellsona roads where the car was washed away.
Davis adds that while the men were not hurt, their car likely won’t be drivable again.
“We still currently have a vehicle that is submerged in the water down the road a little ways that it's not going to be useful anymore," Davis said. "I mean, someone lost their car at this point. They're going to have to buy a new car because they chose to drive through a flooded roadway and obviously had to be rescued. And luckily, they're safe and uninjured. So that's, that's fantastic.”
Davis says the submerged car will stay put for now.
“It's in the water because we need the water levels to drop to be able to get it out," Davis said. "So if you see it, don't be alarmed. It's going to be in there at least for a little bit longer until the storm breaks and they can safely get it out of the flooded area."
Emergency crews were also busy with another rescue Monday morning, pulling three people from islands in the Salinas River to safety.
They were also unhurt but the incident prompted Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services to place a rescue boat in service to provide staff with specialized training on boat operations and swift water rescues
CAL FIRE urges people to pay attention to road closed signs and turn around once you see them.
The City of Paso Robles is also urging all residents to stay out of the Salinas Riverbed as it can be hazardous during heavy rainfall.
