Dramatic Swift Water Rescue Saves Two Trapped In Storm Drain
Two people were rescued from a storm drain connected to a raging flood control channel in San Bernardino Sunday morning following heavy rainfall that sent dangerous amounts of water rushing through the city’s drainage system.
On October 11, 2026, at approximately 8:45 a.m., first responders were dispatched to the area of Pacific Avenue and Fairfax Drive following reports of two individuals trapped inside a storm drain leading directly into the San Bernardino city flood control channel.
Upon arrival, firefighters encountered rapidly moving floodwaters and requested assistance from the San Bernardino County swift water rescue team.
The two individuals were trapped inside a storm drain that emptied into the heavily flooded channel, creating dangerous conditions for both the victims and rescuers.
Firefighters positioned an aerial ladder truck over the channel and used its bucket to lower rescue personnel toward the rushing water, allowing them to access the storm drain.
Rescue crews worked for nearly two hours to safely reach and extract both individuals. One by one, the victims were lifted from the storm drain and hoisted to safety using the ladder truck.
Despite the dangerous conditions, both individuals were rescued without reported injuries.
Authorities have not released the identities of those rescued or explained why they were inside the storm drain when the flooding began.
The rescue came as heavy rainfall impacted San Bernardino County, causing hazardous flooding conditions throughout the region.
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