By Sharon Bernstein
The Sacramento Bee
TRUCKEE, Calif. — Nine people were rescued from a house on the bank of the South Yuba River at Donner Summit Sunday after heavy rains led the stream to swell, cutting them off from the road, emergency officials said.
To get to the stranded residents, firefighters had to extend their ladder horizontally across the deepening water, Truckee Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Ryan Ochoa said. The residents then walked across the ladder to safety, he said. No one was injured.
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The building, painted red and with a peaked roof, sits very close to the river, and it is not the first time emergency crews have had to rescue people inside, Ochoa said.
“The house is built right along the river edge on a granite slab, and when the river swells it’s not uncommon for the water to start going around both sides of the house,” he said.
Firefighters rescued people from the home in the 1990s, Ochoa said. And one resident said on Facebook that she recalled it flooding as long ago as 1963.
Ochoa said he did not know if the people who were in the house were owners, renters or vacationers. They were able to access their vehicles after they walked across the ladder to the road, and left on their own, he said.
The house itself is situated with its back to the riverbank, Ochoa said. And while the South Yuba has not technically overrun its banks, it has flowed around to the front of the building, surrounding the house and essentially making it part of the stream.
“The main body of the river is on the back side of house, but the river swelled so much that it just came up and around the front side of the house,” he said.
Several agencies stepped in to assist with the rescue, including CAL FIRE, Olympic Valley Fire Department and California State Parks, he said.
Rain is expected to continue in the region at least through Monday, and emergency officials warned people to stay away from the river.
“This is a good reminder that water levels can change as the rain continues,” Truckee fire officials said on Facebook. “Avoid being in or near the water. Do not try to attempt to drive or wade through floodwaters.”
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