Firefighters Rescue Two from Atop Nearly Submerged Car
HOLLYWOOD - Firefighters rescued two women stranded upon the roof of their vehicle due to a massive amount of water from a broken water main, early Wednesday morning.
At 2:49 AM on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, a 9-1-1 call was placed reporting a broken water main, which flooded an area within the 2300 block of North Cahuenga Boulevard. Two women were forced to climb onto the roof of their car to escape the rising water, and remained there until the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived. Firefighters from several nearby fire stations worked together to provide safe egress for the women using wooden ladders. Firefighters assessed both, finding them to be uninjured.
Members of LAFD's Swiftwater Rescue Team arrived after the rescue and searched the waters for additional victims. Thankfully, no additional victims were discovered.
Your Los Angeles Fire Department would like to commend these two women on their quick thinking to climb to the roof, and their patience to wait there for crews (who carry ropes to safely tether themselves) to arrive. To an onlooker, the surface of the water may appear calm, where any adult might easily wade through the water to escape, however, unseen currents underneath can easily sweep someone into a storm drain or maintenance hole, as the water finds a way to escape. Even six inches of fast-moving water can sweep a person off their feet. Thankfully, today's reminder of the hidden dangers during floods came without injury to victims or responders.
