MCKINNEY, Texas — Several people and a dog were rescued from floodwaters after heavy rain moved through McKinney overnight, fire officials said.
The McKinney Fire Department (MFD) said in total, it responded to four water rescue calls early Thursday morning. In each instance, the MFD’s Technical Rescue Teams were able to bring the trapped people to safety.
MFD said the first call came in just after 4 a.m., concerning two people trapped in a vehicle that became stuck in high water near the Bonnie Wenk Dog Park – located in the 2900 block of Virginia Parkway. When crews arrived, they successfully rescued them.
MFD said a few minutes later, a call came in about a person stuck in their vehicle under the bridge next to Town Lake Park.
At about 5:19 a.m., crews responded to the 200 block of Valley Creek Trail to rescue a person in their vehicle, MFD said.
Lastly, MFD said a passerby heard calls for help in the 700 block of El Dorado at about 7:19 a.m. When crews arrived, they found three people and a dog trapped under the bridge in the area. MFD lifted the people and the dog to safety by using ropes and a fire truck’s aerial ladder.
"The plan was to create a high-point and go directly down to them," said firefighter paramedic Zach Costa, who was on the rope.
It is believed the group was homeless and had been camping under the bridge. MFD told WFAA the group had been in the location for almost eight hours and water had creeped up to their knees.
"They were relatively calm given their situation," said Costa.
"Yeah, they were very happy to get out of the water...that was very [evident]," said Fire Captain Joel Boyd.
The victims were thankful for the quick response from firefighters. MFD said the group was able to change out of their wet clothing and were given new clothes. They were ultimately picked up and taken to a safe location.
After a morning full of rescues, officials want to remind residents to “turn around – don’t drown.” They shared these tips too:
- Do not drive in flooded areas
- 6 inches of water is enough to stall most vehicles
- Do not try to cross over moving water