A dog trapped in a tent at a flooded campsite used by homeless people apparently drowned late Wednesday after authorities decided that a rescue mission would be too risky.

City police and fire spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe said the drama began about 9:50 p.m., when police got a call from a woman in Hazel Hill about a dog in distress.

Police determined that the dog was in a camp between the back of Hazel Hill and one of the ramps leading to the Blue and Gray Parkway.

The medium-sized dog was apparently zipped up in a tent, which was perched in about a foot of steadily rising water at the bottom of a steep embankment.

Bledsoe said police could not find a safe way to the tent, so the fire department was called.

Fire department personnel responded, but decided that saving the dog was not worth the potential risks to the rescue workers.

Eventually the dog stopped making noise, presumably because it drowned, Bledsoe said.

Bledsoe said Hazel Run, which runs next to the campsite, overflowed because of the large amount of rain this week.

The people living at the campsite had left the area, but someone zipped the dog up in the tent before leaving.

Authorities returned to the scene yesterday morning, but the camp was still underwater and still deemed unsafe to go into.

Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com