YORK COUNTY, S.C. — A York County man was taken to the hospital after firefighters rescued him from his home due to a downed tree caused by Tropical Storm Helene on Friday.
The tree fell on a home along Poinsett Drive in Rock Hill around 6:30 a.m. Multiple agencies responded to the home, including the York County Sheriff's Office and Charlotte Fire Department. Charlotte Fire crews worked for over an hour to free the man, his wife and their dog.
Charlotte Fire shared a photo of the man being pulled through the roof. He can be seen giving a thumbs-up to rescuers showing his gratitude for being saved.
"You can see the resilience and strength of the patient, who gave a thumbs-up to first responders, showing his gratitude and spirit," officials said. "Our thoughts are with him and his family as he recovers."
Numerous homes in the Charlotte area were damaged by topped trees and power lines as Helene's high winds and heavy rain battered the Carolinas. Tragically, one person died and another was seriously injured when a tree fell on a home in northwest Charlotte early Friday.
Over 1.25 million people lost power as the storm swept over the region. At one point, South Carolina had the most power outages in the country when the worst of the storm pushed through the Upstate.