Waterloo firefighter rappels into icy river to save woman

WATERLOO, Iowa – A woman is alive after being pulled from an icy Iowa river by a rappelling firefighter.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that it isn’t yet known how the woman ended up in the Cedar River in Waterloo. A passerby called 911 Monday night after hearing her yelling from beneath a bridge.

Firefighters tossed her a rope with a loop, which prevented her from floating over the dam only yards away. Firefighter Chris Roth then used a second line to rappel into the river while another crew launched a rescue boat. Roth helped the woman into the boat, which ferried her to a waiting ambulance.

Her condition on Tuesday wasn’t immediately known.

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