Waterloo firefighter rappels into icy river to save woman

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A woman is alive after being pulled from an icy Iowa river by a rappelling firefighter. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that it isn’t yet known how the woman ended up in the Cedar River in Waterloo. A passerby called 911 Monday night after hearing her yelling from beneath a bridge. Firefighters tossed her a rope with a loop, which prevented her from floating over the dam only yards away. Firefighter Chris Roth then used a second line to rappel into the river while another crew launched a rescue boat. Roth helped the woman into the boat, which ferried her to a waiting ambulance. Her condition on Tuesday wasn’t immediately known.