Several people and multiple canines were stranded Monday on a strip of land surrounded by fast moving water in the Santa Ana River bottom, requiring firefighters to initiate a rescue.
The water emergency was reported about 10:30 a.m. near the Van Buren Boulevard bridge, according to the Riverside Fire Department.
The agency said that witnesses spotted people standing on either a sandbar or other thin strip of terrain, yelling for help.
Waters in the Santa Ana began rising last week when the first round of storms hit and were moving rapidly after the latest downpours began Sunday evening. The area is dotted with transient encampments.
As of 11:10 a.m., firefighters were working to extricate the parties from the river. No one was injured.
According to reports from the scene, two to four people were stranded, along with seven dogs.
Riverside County Department of Animal Services personnel, based less than a mile away, were summoned to assist with impounding the canines at the Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley.