GRIFFITH PARK—The Los Angeles Fire Department rescued four people from the Los Angeles River in Atwater Village on Monday, November 21.
Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department stated that they responded to a call at 2:40 a.m. and began their rescue effort in heavy rain. Four individuals, two men and two women, composed the stranded group. They were brought back across the river on a rubber raft to safety around 4:15 a.m.
“We didn’t expect it to rain that hard, and when we saw the water start to come up it was too late for us to cross,” Wendy Greene, one of the four people rescued, told KTLA. “My boyfriend and I were stuck in the tree for about two hours, waiting for them to come and get us.”
None were injured but all were treated for exposure to the cold and wet conditions, Scott stated. Then, in fair condition, they were released from local hospitals Monday afternoon.
According to Scott, about 100 firefighters assisted in the effort and were stationed at various rescue points along the river. The Los Angeles River was reported to be moving at 30 to 35 miles per hour.
Atwater Village is in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles near Griffith Park. The rescue occurred about a half-mile north of Los Feliz Boulevard.
