Kayaker rescued from swollen Charlotte area river

Charlotte firefighters helped rescue a kayaker who became stranded in debris on the South Fork of the Catawba River on Wednesday afternoon.

A fire ladder was used to reach the kayaker, who became trapped in debris at about 4 p.m. The rescue, in Belmont in Gaston County, took about 2 hours.

A rescue also was underway on the Rocky River in Cabarrus County.

And earlier Wednesday, four teenagers were rescued on the Catawba in York County, S.C., The (Rock Hill) Herald reported.

York County emergency officials urged people to stay off the swollen river.

In the Gaston County rescue, aerial footage from Observer news partner WBTV showed a broken yellow kayak in a pile of debris in the river. A man could be seen nearby with his head just above the water.

The Cabarrus County rescue is happening just past Midland at a large bridge over the Rocky River.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

This story was originally published April 25, 2018 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Kayaker rescued from swollen Charlotte area river."