Firefighters rescued three people and a dog from the swiftly moving waters of a flooded L.A. River this morning.
Heavy rain during the early hours of the morning caused the typically calm and low-lying river to quickly fill in a matter of hours. Los Angeles Fire Department crews were first called to a portion of the river near Atwater Village where they found a person with a dog trapped among the thick vegetation in the middle of the riverbed, surrounded by rushing water, reports CBS LA. Using ropes and safety gear, the firefighters were able to reach the unidentified man and his dog and pull them safely across the water to the side of the riverbed.
KCTV5
Around the same time, LAFD also received another call about two people stranded in the river around San Fernando and Elm near Cypress Park in Northeast Los Angeles. There they found two people clinging to a tree, surrounded by the river water. Again, with the help of ropes the crew was able to reach the individuals—whose identities have not been released—and pull them safely to shore one by one.
KCTV5
No injuries were reported in either incident and the rescued individuals are said to be in fair condition. Exactly how the three found themselves stranded in the river has not been released, but many areas along the river are known to have homeless encampments.
