The Riverside County Fire Department was swamped with calls Thursday when storms that spawned funnel clouds moved through the area.

In a four-hour span, firefighters responded to a whopping 128 incidents.

Those included 28 residential-flooding calls; 14 power-pole and palm-tree fires caused by lightning; 20 minor-injury traffic collisions; and the funnel clouds that overturned a big rig on Interstate 215 in Moreno Valley, critically injuring the driver, and toppled nine boxcars.

– posted at 11:58 a.m. by Cathy Maestri

Friday, May 23, 2008