Caught on camera: How a man and his dog, trapped in a car during flash floods, were rescued
The heart-stopping moment firefighters rescued a man and his pet dog from a car trapped in raging floodwaters has been caught on camera. Rescuers from the Florence Fire Department in the US state of Colorado say there's a lot that could have gone wrong during the tense rescue but, fortunately, this story has a happy ending.
David Rooks tells KKTV that he saw the exact moment waters from the flash flood hit. His car was parked in what was, at that point, a dry creek. "I looked down and I had 6 inches of water on my feet, and I looked up and all I seen was logs and water coming at me," he says.
That's when he grabbed his dog, Petey, and jumped into his vehicle - seconds before it was swept away.
Luckily, a passerby spotted what happened and immediately called 911.
KOAA reports the local fire department used a 100-foot ladder to reach the vehicle, which was wedged on a rock.
While Sunday's rescue took about an hour, a 12-minute video was posted to Facebook by the Fremont County Sheriff's Office.
In the video, Mr Rooks, wearing a life jacket, can be seen securing a rope around his dog and pushing him out of the car and into the hands of a firefighter. Moments later, he climbs onto the roof of his vehicle and is pulled to safety. The ladder slowly retracts over the muddy, fast-flowing floodwaters, closer to shore.
Watch the dramatic rescue below:
The Fremont County Sheriff's Office also posted a "happy ending picture" of Mr Rooks and Petey with the firefighter who rescued them.
David Rooks tells KKTV that he saw the exact moment waters from the flash flood hit. His car was parked in what was, at that point, a dry creek. "I looked down and I had 6 inches of water on my feet, and I looked up and all I seen was logs and water coming at me," he says.
That's when he grabbed his dog, Petey, and jumped into his vehicle - seconds before it was swept away.
Luckily, a passerby spotted what happened and immediately called 911.
KOAA reports the local fire department used a 100-foot ladder to reach the vehicle, which was wedged on a rock.
While Sunday's rescue took about an hour, a 12-minute video was posted to Facebook by the Fremont County Sheriff's Office.
In the video, Mr Rooks, wearing a life jacket, can be seen securing a rope around his dog and pushing him out of the car and into the hands of a firefighter. Moments later, he climbs onto the roof of his vehicle and is pulled to safety. The ladder slowly retracts over the muddy, fast-flowing floodwaters, closer to shore.
Watch the dramatic rescue below:
The Fremont County Sheriff's Office also posted a "happy ending picture" of Mr Rooks and Petey with the firefighter who rescued them.
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