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Phoenix, Arizona: Six People Rescued From Four Vehicles Trapped in Flooded Wash at 40th Street and Camelback Road

Phoenix firefighters used a shallow water entry to pull six people from four vehicles stuck in a wash near 40th Street and Camelback Road around 6:30 p.m. Friday. All six were checked at the scene and declined a trip to the hospital.

By Orbit Post2 min read
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Phoenix, Arizona: Six People Rescued From Four Vehicles Trapped in Flooded Wash at 40th Street and Camelback Road

Key points

  • Firefighters rescued six people from four vehicles stuck in a flooded wash in northeast Phoenix on Friday evening, the Phoenix Fire Department said.
  • The rescue happened around 6:30 p.m. on October 30 in the area of 40th Street and Camelback Road.
  • Crews used a shallow water entry technique to reach the vehicles and remove the people inside, Keller said.

Firefighters rescued six people from four vehicles stuck in a flooded wash in northeast Phoenix on Friday evening, the Phoenix Fire Department said. No one was taken to a hospital.

The rescue happened around 6:30 p.m. on October 30 in the area of 40th Street and Camelback Road. Technical rescue members were sent out for a reported water rescue and found six people trapped in four vehicles stuck in a wash, Fire Department spokesperson Capt. Todd Keller told the Arizona Republic.

A shallow water entry

Crews used a shallow water entry technique to reach the vehicles and remove the people inside, Keller said. Firefighters walked into the water rather than bringing in boats or a full swift water team, and brought each driver and passenger out of the wash.

All six people were assessed at the scene. Every one of them declined to be taken to a hospital, Keller said, and FOX 10 Phoenix reported the same outcome from the fire department statement: the six were checked where they were rescued and refused transport.

A wash is not a road

The rescue came at the end of a wet Friday across metro Phoenix. The area was under a flood watch on October 30 as storms swept the region, FOX 10 Phoenix reported, with widespread showers and thunderstorms, cooler temperatures and a set of warnings and watches in place across Arizona, including the Phoenix area.

Washes are the low channels that carry storm water across the desert floor, and in Phoenix they cross ordinary streets. A wash that is dry in the morning can run fast and deep during an evening storm, and a car that enters moving water can stall and trap the people inside. Friday showed how quickly that happens: four separate vehicles were stuck in the same wash at the same time.

More rain is coming

Friday was only the first round. The National Weather Service has issued a second set of flood watches that run from 11 p.m. on Saturday, October 31 to 5 a.m. on Monday, November 2, covering Maricopa County and most of the rest of Arizona, the Arizona Republic reported. Forecasters expect another 1 to 1.5 inches of rain in metro Phoenix from the second round, with 2 to 3 inches possible in higher terrain, falling on ground that Friday already soaked.

Drivers who reach a flooded wash or a flooded dip in the road should turn around and take another route. Friday evening at 40th Street and Camelback Road is the reason: six people needed firefighters to get out of their cars, and they were the lucky outcome.

Timeline

  1. Oct 30, 2026Metro Phoenix is under a flood watch as showers and thunderstorms sweep central Arizona, with watches and warnings in place across the state.
  2. Oct 30, 2026Around 6:30 p.m., Phoenix Fire technical rescue members are sent to a reported water rescue near 40th Street and Camelback Road and find six people trapped in four vehicles stuck in a wash.
  3. Oct 30, 2026Firefighters use a shallow water entry to remove all six people. Each person is assessed at the scene and declines transport to a hospital.
  4. Oct 31, 2026A second set of flood watches is set to run from 11 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday, November 2, with another 1 to 1.5 inches of rain forecast for metro Phoenix.

Sources