A 21-year-old man and 18-year-old woman were rescued Monday from fast-moving water in the Pacoima Wash, a tributary of the Los Angeles River, authorities said.
The two entered the wash near Foothill Boulevard and were swept miles down the wash at about 20 mph, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange said.
One of them managed to call 911 at about 12:30 a.m. and spoke with dispatchers while moving through the wash, Prange said.
The pair grabbed a wall before passing under Telfair Avenue and remained there until firefighters arrived, he said.
“LAFD quickly deployed their aerial ladder with a firefighter dangling from a harness off of the end of the ladder,” Prange said. “Both patients were extricated from the river within 15 minutes of resources getting to the scene.”
The patients were taken to a hospital for treatment but their injuries did not appear to be significant, he said.
Prange did not know why the pair entered the river.