Rescued! Crews save man from racing currents



COLORADO -- Emergency crews in Colorado braved racing floodwaters early Thursday, rescuing a man from a partially submerged car, live on television.

The scene in Lafayette, Colorado, unfolded in video from CNN affiliate KCNC after a night of torrential rain that left at least three people dead. Rock slides and flash flooding collapsed homes, put dams at risk and forced hundreds of people to evacuate.

In Larimer County, a dam break trapped three people, and weather was preventing rescue helicopters from launching to help them.

In nearby Boulder County, emergency officials were getting calls for help "by the dozen" Thursday morning, Boulder County spokesman Andrew Barth said. Crews couldn't reach some places because of debris, mud and steep terrain, he said.

Hundreds of people left their homes. At least one shelter was nearly full, according to the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management.

At least two people died in Boulder County, Sheriff Joe Pelle said. Another person was reported dead in Colorado Springs, in El Paso, County.

One of those who died was trapped in a collapsed building in Jamestown, Boulder County spokeswoman Gabbie Boerkircher said.

The circumstances of the other deaths weren't clear early Thursday, but the Colorado Springs Fire Department said on Twitter that the body had been recovered by a "heavy rescue team."

For more on this CNN story, click here.