Couple rescued near Shaver Lake after 3 hours stuck in storm

A husband and wife were rescued by Sheriff's deputies just past Shaver Lake in the middle of the storm on Wednesday night .

The couple called 911 at around 7.30 p.m. but were not found until three hours later.

Their car had gotten stuck in the mud and trapped by trees down in the road.

As the woman got out of the car, a tree fell and hit her in the head, leaving a gash.

Minutes later, their car caught on fire, forcing the couple to move away and huddle together to try to stay warm.

When deputies arrived, they found more then a dozen downed trees in their path -- that they had to cut through with chainsaws to get to the couple.

"Id say the winds were probably gusting 30-45 mph - raining very heavily and sometimes mixed with snow," said Deputy David Raquenio.

Once they got to the couple -- deputies had to cut through even more trees to get them back down the road and to safety.

They also had to battle a flat tire on their own vehicle.

They say it took them a total of seven hours to rescue them.

The couple was taken to the hospital for treatment -- and they're both expected to be okay.

The deputies who rescued them were not injured.