Two firefighters swept away in Quebec river; police searching
CTV
Quebec provincial police say they are searching for two firefighters who are missing in a river in a city northeast of Quebec City that is being hit hard by spring flooding. A spokesperson for the SQ told CTV News that the firefighters were trying to help residents who were stuck in their house in Baie-Saint-Paul, in Quebec's Charlevoix region, when the pair was swept away by a strong current.
Quebec provincial police say they are searching for two firefighters who are missing in a river in a city northeast of Quebec City that is being hit hard by spring flooding.
A spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) told CTV News that the firefighters were trying to help residents who were stuck in their house in Baie-Saint-Paul, in Quebec's Charlevoix region, when the pair was swept away by a strong current.
Video posted on Facebook showed what appeared to be a mobile home being swept down a river before crashing into a bridge as bystanders looked on.
Two helicopters are searching the flooded river for the missing firefighters, as other emergency crews are also on the ground trying to assist other residents affected by flooding. A local campground was particularly hard-hit and two daycares were also evacuated.
A portion of Highway 138, which is the main connector in that area, is closed north of Baie-Saint-Paul. Some residential roads were washed out as around 1,400 homes were without power early Monday evening. There's also a major water leak, so many many residents are without drinking water or are under a boil-water advisory.
Residents in Baie-Saint-Paul were told to stay home or call 911 if their homes need to be evacuated. An emergency shelter has been set up in the Luc-et-Marie-Claude Arena.
