CLAREMORE (CNHI News Service) – One firefighter died and a second was injured in this northeast Oklahoma city when they were swept down a storm drain while attempting to rescue residents from rising flood waters.
The victim was identified as Captain Jason Farley, a nearly 20-year veteran of the Claremore Fire Department. It was the first fireman’s death in Claremore since the mid-1980s.
Fire Chief Sean Douglas said Farley presumably drowned when he was pulled in to the storm drain around 11:30 p.m. Saturday because of the high water and got trapped inside of it.
Douglas said a fellow firefighter, Zane James, rushed to the victim’s assistance but also was sucked into the storm drain. He emerged at the other end, and was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
It took emergency rescue crews two hours to find Farley’s body, said Douglas.
Oklahoma and Texas were struck by heavy rains over the weekend, causing widespread flooding in both states. Several highways and streets were closed by high water in Oklahoma.
Douglas said Claremore firefighters received an alert around 10:30 p.m. Saturday to rescue several residents from homes threatened by flood waters in the Archer Court section of the city off Highway 20.
He said Farley likely did not notice the storm drain, got caught up in the force of the water, then ended up trapped inside the 200-foot drain structure.
The second firefighter, James, observed the distressed situation, rushed to help his colleague, and also was swept into the drain, Douglas said. He came out the other end and suffered only minor injuries
