MASSENA -- Massena firefighters on Saturday rescued Pratt Place residents whose homes were endangered by the flooded Grasse River.

The river levels had risen due to melting snow and ice as a result of two days of temperatures well above freezing, which got as high as 60 degrees on Friday.

"This created a dangerous situation for those in the area as there was no way to pump out cellars that had been submerged by the swollen river and utilities were in danger of being overcome," according to a post from the Massena Volunteer Fire Department on their Facebook page. "MFD made the tough decision to evacuate the residents of the flood stricken homes before the water rose higher."

Most residents were able to evacuate on their own, but a few in the deeper sections of water had no way to escape, the post says.

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A Massena volunteer firefighter stands in knee-deep water on Pratt Place as residents are evacuated. Photo from Massena Volunteer Fire Dept.

Massena Fire Chief Tim Quenneville said the Department of Public Works brought in a front-end loader that was used to help four people and some pets evacuate their homes.

He said there are four homes in the flooded area, and some people did not want to leave.

As of Tuesday afternoon, all of the evacuees had returned home.

"The water has receded. Some of it turned to ice and the village DPW took care of that with a loader, went in and plowed it out for them. The residents are back in their homes with electrical back on so they can have heat, and they were still working on their hot water heaters," Quenneville said. "Everything was a job well done by the village DPW and my fellow firemen."

Click here to view YouTube video of ice flooding by John Michaud.