United States (West Virginia) - A Kanawha County firefighter is believed drowned after a boat he was in capsized during a rescue operation in Beaver Saturday morning and a Bradley area woman was apparently killed after being swept away by swift water as major flooding devastated much of Raleigh and Fayette counties.

Emergency crews in Fayette and Raleigh counties were dispatched on several rescue calls early this morning because of major flooding from a combination of heavy rains, melting snow and saturated ground. Flood warnings remain in effect through this evening for both counties.

According to a special statement from the National Weather Service, 2.58 inches of rain fell in a six-hour period late Friday and early this morning at the Beckley-Raleigh County Memorial Airport, causing streams and creeks to overflow throughout the region. The statement, issued at 3:30 a.m., said another inch of rain could be possible through this evening.

A statement from the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management this morning around 11 a.m. noted that floodwaters were beginning to recede in some of the higher elevations. However, flood warnings remain in effect, with larger streams and rivers expected to rise even more because of the runoff from tributaries.

According to sources, a woman was swept away while attempting to walk through swift water crossing Beechview Avenue, which runs between Maple Fork Road and North Sandbranch Road near Bradley. Officials were still on the scene Saturday morning attempting to recover the woman's body, which was located about a quarter-mile from the roadway, but were hampered by the swift water. The woman has not been identified.

Many roads were covered with water and several remain impassable throughout the area at noon today.

Area fire departments were called out beginning around midnight to rescue several residents from homes surrounded by water in the Beaver, Beckley, Glen White, Rhodell, Shady Spring and Sullivan areas of Raleigh County. In Fayette County, rescues were reported in Kilsyth and Mount Hope.

A swiftwater rescue team from Kanawha County along with Beaver and Coal City volunteer fire departments responded to Sullivan to rescue four people who were trapped on top of a submerged car. Firefighters on the scene reported water more than four feet deep in the area. Once rescued, the four were checked by EMS crews, but no major injuries were reported.

The firefighter feared drowned was apparently from the same team from Kanawha County, reportedly from Glasgow Fire Department. A statement from Kanawha County Commissioner Kent Carper said, "It appears that he was lost when his boat capsized." The firefighter was not identified.

As of noon, personnel from several Raleigh County departments, along with other emergency responders from Kanawha and Fayette counties, continued to search for the lost firefighter along swift waters in the Beaver area.

In Rhodell, firefighters assisting residents from their homes lost a rescue truck when it was swept away by fast-rising floodwaters, but no injuries were reported there.

In Glen White, Lester firefighters used a boat to rescue a resident from a home. They also reported that water was rising into the Cogar Mine Supply warehouse and the company's vehicles.

A power outage was reported in the Beaver area around 5 a.m., although it is unsure if that is related to the flooding.

The weather service statement also said New River at Thurmond "was well above its 12-foot flood stage ... at 17 feet as of 3 a.m.," and was expected to reach 19 feet by dawn.

On television, The Weather Channel reported that cars were floating in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Beckley.

An emergency shelter has been set up at the Lewis Community Center in Oak Hill, according to the EOC there. A shelter is on standby in Raleigh County should the need arise.

Written by The Register-Herald