Firefighters helped four people to safety after their vehicle became trapped in floodwaters early Sunday in northeastern Jackson County.

The driver told Jackson County dispatchers that he drove through one “large puddle” of water but couldn’t make it through a second one.

The incident was reported at 12:23 a.m. in the 11900 block of East County Road 700N, northeast of Seymour.

“He said he was driving east and the water was coming on their hood,” Sheriff Michael Carothers said of the incident investigated by county Officer Jesse Hutchinson.

Firefighters from Redding Township Volunteer Fire Department were called to the scene and drove a truck to the vehicle and ferried three adults and a child to safety, Carothers said.

The driver was told he could go back and get his car after the floodwaters receded.

The East Fork White River crested at Rockford at 14.84 feet Sunday night. The river had been pushed above its 12-foot flood stage early Sunday after nearly 2 inches of rain fell in the area Saturday.

Carothers said that any time the East Fork White River rises to 15 feet many low-lying roads are closed.

The river is not expected to drop below flood stage at Rockford until 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Carothers said county Reserve Officer Greg Murphy responded to a report of vehicles stuck in water in the 9000 block of East State Road 250 late Sunday but did not find anything when he arrived in the area.

Flooding is not uncommon in early January, Carothers said.

“If there’s water on the road, don’t drive through it,” he said.

Carothers said flood waters present more of a problem when it’s colder.

“Especially if someone gets wet and it’s 15 degrees,” he said.

Some motorists encountering ice may think it’s not a problem to continue driving, Carothers said.

But if the ice breaks through, it can create real problems for the motorists and rescue workers, he said.

State Road 258 between Seymour and Cortland remained closed Monday, along with State Road 235 between State Road 135 and Medora.