A man and his dog were safe on Monday after the man jumped into raging Los Angeles floodwaters to save his pet and was rescued by firefighters, who plucked him out in a dramatic helicopter rescue, officials said.
The dog swam safely to shore.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley announced the rescue at a news conference regarding the intense flooding from an atmospheric river has pounded California for two days. The National Weather Service has called it one of the three wettest storm systems in recorded Los Angeles history.
Video posted on social media showed a rescuer on a tether being lowered by helicopter into the rapids of the Pacoima Wash, a concrete flood channel in the San Fernando Valley that feeds the Los Angeles River. The firefighter grabbed the man around the waist as the helicopter whisked both of them to safety.
“He was later treated at a local hospital and his canine was able to swim to the edge and escape the rapids,” Crowley said. “The rescue is a dramatic example of why we’re asking residents to please stay away from the LA River and other moving water.”