A stormy weekend on Lake Pleasant resulted in a busy time for deputies from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, the Lake Pleasant area was hit with a large storm that produced high winds and choppy water. MCSO said multiple boats and other personal watercraft were damaged in the storm, with some totaled.
Deputies say they performed several rescues on victims in the water because of the storm. No significant injuries or deaths were reported, according to MCSO.
Incident #1
Around this time, two women in their 50's were paddle boarding on the lake near Jet Ski Point. Deputies say both were overcome by the waves from the storm and were rescued by lake patrol deputies.
Danielle Douglas, 53, and Tracey Cass, 52, were identified as the two women who were rescued; Douglas was not wearing a floatation device, and Cass was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Incident #2
Before the storm hit, MCSO said three juveniles left from the 4-lane boat ramp operating a WaveRunner personal water craft. After the storm hit, the parents had reportedly lost sight of the juveniles because of the distance they traveled out onto the lake and the storm conditions.
After they didn't return, the parents reported the juveniles missing. MCSO said the three were overcome by the storm but managed to steer the water craft towards the shoreline at Fireman's Cove. Before deputies arrived to search for the juveniles, a family member used a WaveRunner to locate them on shore at Fireman's Cove.
The family member transported one of the juveniles back while lake patrol deputies recovered the other two and took them back to their family. All three were evaluated by medical personnel and were found to be in good health.
Storm damage
Following the storm on Friday, MCSO said the Lake Pleasant area suffered some significant damage. A power outage was reported at the operations center and the Scorpion Bay Marina. The roof was also partially ripped off from atop the restaurant at the Scorpion Bay Marina.
Deputies say the storms damaged the boat lift in the MCSO boat house and also flipped the concrete breakwater upside down.
They said the 10-lane boat ramp broke free and floated off into the bay. Four boats sunk and a fifth was beached after it was partially submerged. Countless of other boats were also damaged.
There was a breach in the marina fuel pump that also caused about 100 gallons of fuel to spill into the lake. A containment system was initiated.
Ten people were pulled from the water, but none were significantly injured.
