Five people — one of whom was in a wheelchair — were rescued Wednesday from a flooded homeless camp in the woods near Salem's Wallace Marine Park.
Emergency personnel responded at about 2 p.m. and remained near the park entrance for hours to wait and see if more people needed help.
The five evacuees didn't want any more help after being rescued and left afterward, said Deputy Fire Chief Gabriel Benmoussa with the Salem Fire Department.
About 10 people remained surrounded by water as of Wednesday afternoon, but they didn't want to leave, Benmoussa said. An additional 20 people were out of danger and wanted to stay where they were, he said.
Conditions at the homeless camp worsened since Tuesday, when flooding had submerged tents and other possessions. Sections of trails leading back to the camps were now underwater, though several scattered tents could be seen through the trees.