Rescuers try to pull trapped man from San Bernardino County creek

Rescuers in the San Bernardino National Forest on Wednesday evening were trying to pull out a man trapped in his vehicle in the middle of a storm-swollen creek.

The man was in Lytle Creek, in the same area where a woman was rescued Monday night after she was swept away in her truck by strong currents, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said. The creek is northwest of San Bernardino.

"They're preparing to rescue him right now," Fire Department spokeswoman Tracey Martinez told The Times about 5:15 p.m.

The area, she said, had been pounded by more than 19 inches of rain.

Countywide, fire crews had made about two dozen rescues Wednesday after motorists became trapped by mudflows and heavy downpours, officials said.

-- Robert J. Lopez