Water Rescue (Photo Gallery)

Last night a 9-1-1 call came in with a report of chest-deep water in a home off Marilyn Circle near Lucille & Seldon streets outside Wasilla. Five families were surrounded by water. An unnamed creek is nearby and the homes are in a low lying wet area. Firefighters from Central—MAT-SU and the MAT-SU Water Rescue team responded with 3 rafts near 1 am.

Last night a 9-1-1 call came in with a report of chest-deep water in a home off Marilyn Circle near Lucille & Seldon streets outside Wasilla. An unnamed creek is nearby and the homes are in a low lying wet area. Five families were surrounded by water that had collected in a flash flood in a gully. Firefighters from Central—MAT-SU and the MAT-SU Water Rescue team responded with 3 rafts near 1 am. Rescuers paddled 10 residents to safety including children and a few dogs and a cat. Firefighters entered the homes through windows to help folks into the rafts. Dispatch did reverse 9-1-1 calls to let the residents know to stay put until the rescuers arrived at their doorstep in rafts. Capt. Jake Boothby with Central MAT-SU Fire Dept. relayed this information. Photos by Battalion Chief Jon Burns. —Patty Sullivan, PIO MAT-SU Borough