Peter Mootz Menlo Park firefighters work quickly to free a man trapped under a fallen tree branch yesterday morning.

As of 8 p.m. last night, 3,100 Peninsula residents remained without power and a total of 15,000 were without power in the Bay Area. A total of 303,000 Bay Area residents lost power from Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s fast moving storm. By Wednesday evening, 289,000 customers had their power restored, PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno said.

The storm downed 57 miles of power lines and damaged 58 poles, 110 pole cross arms and 76 transformers systemwide. There are 1,000 crews working throughout PG&E’s service area and they have restored service to about 95 percent of Bay Area customers that lost power throughout the Bay Area, Moreno said.

Caltrans workers were also busy with wind and storm-related issues, but that the end was in sight, said spokesman Jeff Weiss yesterday afternoon

“Most of the downed power lines and downed trees happened in the North Bay and San Mateo County coast, but it’s eased up a lot today. There was a lot of wind, but not very much rain, particularly in the mid-to-South Bay. There was no real flooding,” Weiss said.

Rain and wind together “makes for a real mess,” in terms of  flooding, mudslides and downed power lines, Weiss said.

The wind sent a large tree branch crashing into a truck, trapping a man on Willow Road in Menlo Park Wednesday morning. The man was trapped under a 30- to 40-foot branch approximately 10 to 12 inches in diameter. The cab was crushed to about the level of the truck’s door handle, Menlo Park Fire District Deputy Chief Harold Schapelhouman said.

Fire units responded to the 11:21 a.m. call in the 200 block of Willow Road. The man was freed after firefighters used the Jaws of Life to extricate him, Schapelhouman said.

The man walked away from the crushed car with only minor scrapes and bruises.

“He is a very, very lucky individual,’’ Schapelhouman said.

Another parked car was hit by the branch but was unoccupied.

At least 20 Pacifica resident were evacuated from their apartments after wind completely blew the buildings roof off.

A resident called at 8:13 a.m. to report her sliding glass door and a window had been blown in during yesterday’s wind storm, the North County Fire Authority reported in a statement.

After further investigation, firefighters discovered that the roof and roof sheathing was completely blown off of the structure located at 310 Esplanade Ave.

Firefighters evacuated all 20 apartment units due to the potential of flying glass and debris. The building was cordoned off until weather conditions improved.

The American Red Cross, Bay Area chapter  helped 18 adult residents to find temporary housing for the next two to three nights, spokesman Paul Rose said.

A high wind advisory was issued through 9 p.m. Wednesday evening. Weather is expected to remain clear for the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service.

Peter Mootz

Menlo Park firefighters work quickly to free a man trapped under a fallen tree branch yesterday morning.