A San Bernardino County fire truck fell over the side of the southbound 15 freeway at the 138, in the Cajon Pass when the rain-soaked roadway gave out. No one was in the truck or any injuries occurred.
The clean up is continuing after what the National Weather Service called the biggest winter storm in five years in Southern California. The strong Pacific storm packed with damaging winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms Friday toppled trees all across the county as wind gusts of 50-60 miles an hour were reported in some areas.
The heavy rain Friday afternoon and early evening led to two rain-related fatal freeway crashes.
The first accident struck on Interstate 15 north near Mira Mesa Blvd. shortly after 5 p.m. California Highway Patrol officers said a vehicle hydroplaned across the freeway, striking multiple vehicles. One person died and three others were injured and sent to a nearby hospital.
The second accident occurred just before 6 p.m. on northbound State Route 15 near Interstate 805 in City Heights. CHP said a driver also hydroplaned across two lanes in that accident, and struck a construction truck. The passenger of that vehicle was killed and the driver was transported to the hospital. The driver of the construction truck was also taken to a nearby hospital.
The strong winds toppled dozens of trees including one that fell into the 163 in Balboa Park forcing the closure of the northbound lanes as crews worked to remove the tree. At least one vehicle was reported to have been struck by the tree but no one was reported injured.
Another tree fell onto an apartment in Scripps Ranch but no one was hurt.
The storm caused widespread power outages affecting at least 5,000 customers as of Friday evening.
A Flash Flood Watch was scheduled to be in effect until late Saturday afternoon. A high wind warning ewas cancelled Friday night. A High Surf Warning was expected to continue through Sunday evening with the largest surf expected Saturday afternoon with waves of 10-15 feet.
The National Weather Service said 1-3 inches of rain was expected from the storm with some possible street flooding.
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The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System issued an advisory notifying passengers to plan ahead and prepare for delays this weekend. Flooding and storm damage could delay Trolley and bus service, according to MTS spokesman Rob Schupp.
MTS was scheduling extra trains to accommodate thousands of fans expected to attend Monster Jam at Petco Park on Saturday. Trains will depart all stations every 15 minutes before and after the Monster Jam event, Schupp said.
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