Firefighters carry several children and a baby through chest-high flood waters in Denver after their minivan became submerged – amid historic rainfall across the West that devastated Death Valley in rare ‘1,000 year rainfall event’

• Several children were rescued from a submerged vehicle in the middle of a Denver highway, as flash flooding slammed the area on Sunday
• Wading into chest-high water, the rescuers carried children, sometimes two at a time, out of the deep brown water and onto dry land
• Rescuers helped save a number of people from vehicles stuck on an Interstate 
• Out west, Death Valley, California experienced heavy rain that caused devastating flooding, described as an extremely rare, 1,000-year event 
• Nearly a year’s worth of rain fell in three hours leading to rock and mud slides 

Firefighters in Denver placed children onto their backs and shoulders as as part of a heroic rescue effort as parts of the Mile High City were deluged by floods.

The children were part of 29 people who were saved during Sunday evening’s flooding in the city which occurred after almost  three inches of rain fell in just a couple of hours. 

Wading into chest-high water, the rescuers carried children, sometimes two at a time, out of the deep brown water and onto dry land. 

Multiple children were helped from their minivan which suddenly broke down as it became stuck in an underpass at 38th and Blake Street. 

Firefighters helped rescued several children, including a baby.

Several children were rescued from a submerged vehicle in the middle of a Denver highway, as flash flooding slammed the area on Sunday

Wading into chest-high water, the rescuers carried children, sometimes two at a time, out of the deep brown water and onto dry land

Witnesses watched on in awe as the firefighters walked into the cold water to save the children

Several children were saved from the waters. The firefighters then gave them pizza 

The firefighters worked together to rescue the children, often carrying several at once

‘They’re sitting on top of their car just waiting to be rescued,’ said Eli Espinoza to ABC News.

‘The firefighters didn’t hesitate. That’s what the true hero is.’

One portion of the video shows a firefighter walking backwards out of the water with two children on his shoulders. 

‘Put them both on his shoulder,’ Espinoza said. ‘No hesitation, just walking back… And it was just like, natural instinct.’

A second firefighter was at the minivan rescuing a newborn.

Throughout it all, the rescuers helped to keep the children calm. 

The firefighters raced into action after the rainfall fell over a period of just a few hours and carried children to safety

The firefighters worked together to rescue the children from the stricken vehicle, sometimes bringing them to safety two at a time

Once everyone had been rescued, the one of the fire crew members came to the group with pizza which had been in his car. 

‘He was like, ‘We have dinner,” Espinoza said. ‘And it was just a funny little joke. And it had everyone smiling.’

‘It’s a demanding career to be in the fire service,’ Lt. JD Chism with the Denver Fire Department. ‘There’s also a bit of adrenaline going when you’re in that cold water, and you’re asked to move those two kids out.’

‘Sometimes… you’re going to come across a child who’s incredibly calm,’ he said. ‘And you’re surprised by the situation. And other times, you’re going to have a kid that’s frantic. Anybody who’s a parent, or who has spent a lot of time with children, knows: The calmer we can be when we’re talking to them (and) the calmer we can be to distract them from the actual events that are taking place, then we can get them to a safer environment.’

Rescuers helped save a number of people from vehicles stuck on an Interstate

Drivers were stranded in their cars on the I-70 Interstate near Denver and had to be rescues

Rain and Thunderstorms in United States From will affect a vast swathe of the country between Tuesday and Wednesday

The rescuers also helped save a number of people from vehicles stuck at I-70 and York Street.

11 people together with three children, were helped to safety there.

The Denver Fire Department reported nine calls from people who had become stranded in floodwaters with a total of 78 calls from people needing help.

Lt. Chism also noted how it wasn’t just members of the department who rescued people but civilians too. 

‘The amazing thing was it wasn’t just these firefighters. We have reports of multiple, multiple locations where we had citizens helping citizens and people helping one another get out,’ he said. ‘And so, it was a great showing from everybody in the City of Denver to try to help everybody out in that environment.’

Park officials at Death Valley National Park said flash floods that left 1,000 stranded were caused by ‘nearly an entire year’s worth of rain in one morning’

Mud Canyon Road is closed due to flash flooding in Death Valle. Authorities say the main roadway into Death Valley National Park will remain closed into next week as crews clean up after record-breaking rains damaged the roadway and choked it with mud, rocks and debris

The Furnace Creek area of the park, near the Nevada-California state line, experienced 1.46 inches of rain in just a few hours

It’s not just in Denver where floods have wreaked havoc.

Last week, Death Valley National Park in California endured flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall that left 1,000 people stranded and crushed cars. 

Park officials said the Furnace Creek area of the park, near the Nevada-California state line, experienced 1.46 inches of rain, which they described as ‘nearly an entire year’s worth of rain in one morning.’

It has been described as a 1000-year event. 

‘The heavy rain that caused the devastating flooding at Death Valley was an extremely rare, 1000-year event, explained Daniel Berc, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Las Vegas. 

‘A 1000-year event doesn’t mean it happens once per 1000 years, rather that there is a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year.’ 

The officials also said about 60 vehicles were buried by the rushing floodwaters, and 500 park visitors and 500 park workers were left stranded.

The main roadway into Death Valley National Park will remain closed into next week as crews clean up after record-breaking rains damaged the roadway and choked it with mud, rocks and debris the National Park Service said on Monday. 

The California Department of Transportation said about 30 miles of State Route 190 were partially or fully buried with debris and about 20 miles have been cleared.

However, the route will remain closed at least through August 17 from Trona Wildrose Road/Panamint Valley Road to State Route 127 in Death Valley Junction, Caltrans said in a statement.

60 vehicles were also wrecked in the floods, as they crashed into each other and were hit by floating dumpsters

Death Valley National Park, located near the California-Nevada state line, has over 1,000 miles of roadway across 3.4 million acres. 

‘As our crews continue to remove debris. They have found several damaged sections of highway with complete shoulder loss, damage to asphalt, and undercutting of the roadway,’ Caltrans District 9 Director Ryan Dermody said.

Some of the debris collected will be used to fill in eroded road shoulders, Caltrans said.

On Monday, flash flooding from a monsoonal moisture system also closed a 5-mile stretch of road and prompted the evacuation of the southern portion of Joshua Tree National Park, another desert park about a 4-hour drive south of Death Valley.

No injuries were reported.

This handout panoramic image courtesy of Death Valley National Park Service shows monsoonal rain flooding Mud Canyon in Death Valley National Park, California on August 5

The damaged intersection of Kelbacker Road and Mojave Road in the Mojave National Preserve, California

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