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Louisiana firefighters jump into floodwaters to save woman trapped in car

Posted at 12:11 PM, Jun 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-07 15:11:20-04

Two Baton Rouge firefighters dove right into the dangerous water on Thursday morning to rescue a motorist trapped in her car.

"We were just doing what any firefighter would do," the pair said in a statement.

CNN affiliate WBRZ captured the dramatic moment on camera in Baton Rouge, Louisiana's capital city..

The firefighters were in the area rescuing another motorist when they noticed a car trying to cross the high floodwater, Baton Rouge Fire Department's Public Information Officer Curt Monte told CNN.

The area is near a railroad underpass and the current quickly swept the car away with the woman trapped inside.

One firefighter jumped into the moving water and swam to the car to help. Moments later, a second firefighter jumped in and joined his partner as they pulled the woman out to safety.

Severe weather in the area has caused at least one death, according to Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome. Police said a driver went underwater after trying to leave his car, and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Several streets are closed because of flooding and the rain isn't over yet.

"Baton Rouge has seen 3.68 inches of rain so far with several active flash flood warnings in effect," CNN's weather team said. "The heaviest rain is slowly moving east, but there could still be a few spotty showers for the rest of the day."

The-CNN-Wire
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