Swift, muddy water surged through the Pacoima Wash in North Hills Thursday morning, and by the time Los Angeles firefighters finished their rescue operation, three people had been pulled to safety. LAFD later confirmed that a fourth person had exited the water before firefighters arrived, and the operation was closed. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded around 9 a.m. to reports of people trapped in the water near 15012 W. Parthenia St., setting off a dramatic, multi-pronged rescue that stretched along the flood-control channel.
A woman was rescued first and was reported in stable condition, according to KTLA, which reported she was expected to be taken to a local hospital by LAFD paramedics. A man caught in the same stretch of water was rescued by an LAFD helicopter and was to be flown or transported directly to a hospital rather than wait for ground transport, the station reported. CBS Los Angeles likewise reported that the man and woman were rescued from the water in North Hills, with the woman taken to a hospital in stable condition and the man bound for a local hospital as well.
A Third Rescue Near Saticoy Street
As ground crews worked the scene, firefighters spotted a third person clinging to a bridge support near Saticoy Street. A rescuer was lowered from an aerial ladder to reach the person and bring them to safety, the station's report detailed. That third person's condition was not immediately released following the rescue.
Bystanders at the scene told firefighters that as many as four people may have been swept into the churning channel. LAFD later confirmed that the fourth person had safely exited before firefighters arrived, and officials believed there were no additional victims in the wash. The rescue operation was closed.
Storm Runoff Fills Flood-Control Channels
The rescue unfolded as a Pacific storm dumped heavy rain across Southern California, sending runoff pouring into flood-control channels like the Pacoima Wash and creating hazardous conditions throughout the region, the same account noted. Washes and concrete channels that are normally dry or carry only a trickle can turn into fast-moving, dangerous currents during heavy rain, and North Hills residents near Parthenia Street found themselves at the center of one of those sudden transformations Thursday morning.
By 10:12 a.m., LAFD had confirmed the fourth person had exited before firefighters arrived, and the rescue operation was closed. It remained unclear how the people ended up in the wash or whether the man and woman reached the hospital safely.
