Firefighters use ladder as bridge to rescue 19 people from restaurant surrounded by rushing water

Volunteer firefighters rescued 19 people and a dog from the second floor of a restaurant in Connecticut by crawling across a ladder suspended over rushing water.

Footage shared by Beacon Hose shows the rescue unfolding at the Brookside Inn Restaurant in the town of Oxford.

During the operation, a large propane tank became dislodged from the building and began leaking, releasing propane that enveloped part of the building.

Vehicles and dumpsters were also pulled downstream by the rushing water.

Firefighters assisted 17 people in walking up the aerial ladder, while another person was loaded into a Stokes basket and carried to safety.

Nobody was injured as part of this rescue, which concluded once 19 people and a dog were saved.