Pasadena Firefighters Take Part in Los Angeles River Rescue, 4 People Saved

Pasadena firefighters were part of a team of Los Angeles county firefighters and rescue personnel who rescued four people stranded on an island in a flooded part of the Los Angeles River early Monday.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said about 100 county firefighters, with 17 fire engines and trucks, eight ambulances and specialty units, and command staff, were called to the scene.

Units from the Pasadena Fire Department and the Glendale Fire Department were part of the responding teams.

Pasadena Fire Department spokesperson Lisa Derderian said two battalion chiefs and two urban search and rescue units from the department – USAR 32 and Pasadena Battalion 3 – were dispatched to the scene.

Los Angeles Fire said it received a 911 call at about 2:42 a.m. from the stranded adult victims – two males and two females – who said they were clinging to a tree on an island surrounded by fast flowing water in the river near Los Feliz Blvd.

LAFD immediately dispatched ground, boat and air response units to the scene. The firefighters were strategically placed at pre-planned locations along the sides of the river, north and south of the designated Los Feliz rescue point.

Due to thick vegetation in the area, LAFD determined the safest rescue option would be by Swift Water Rescue Team instead of a helicopter hoist.

The specialized rescue team boarded an inflatable boat and strategically transversed the river, which was flowing at up to 35 miles per hour, until they reached the island.

The team provided the victims with life jackets and instructed them on how the return trip would be done. The rescuers then secured the victims in the boat and used rope lines to pendulum back across the river to safety.

By 4:15 a.m., all four people have been rescued and brought back across the river. Paramedics assessed them medically and determined none of them were injured although they were treated for exposure to the cold and wet environment.

LAFD said the victims have been transported to local hospitals in fair condition.

Rescue helicopters continued to scour the area up and down the river using infrared cameras that could pick up heated objects. No additional victims were found.