‘Keep yourself safe’: 2 rescued from river near Friant Dam
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Two people were rescued from the San Joaquin River Sunday afternoon and state and county officials are reminding the public to practice water safety.
Cal Fire says just after 3 p.m. they were called to the Friant and North Fork Roads for multiple people needing rescue in the San Joaquin River near the Friant Dam.
Upon arrival, fire crews report finding two kayakers in the water, one who was holding onto a tree branch and the other on the shore of the Madera County line. The SWIFT Water Rescue team was called out and rescued both kayakers using their boat.
Investigators say the two were kayaking down the river when they overturned and separated from their kayaks. Both were rescued without injury.
Soon after, Cal Fire says they were called down to Lost Lake for a person in distress. When they arrived, the victim, who fell off a tube, was able to self-extricate themselves.
And as more people begin to be active in waterways to escape the heat, Seargent Steve Barber with California State Parks Millerton Lake says the public should be prepared.
“The water is cold still because we got a lot of snow coming down into the reservoir and so a lot of the folks coming out here should focus on water safety. Make sure you’re swimming with a friend or buddy, make sure you’re wearing a life jacket, make sure you know how to swim so you can keep yourself safe,” Barber said.
Battalion Chief Seth Brown of Cal Fire echoes Sergeant Barber as he states water can be a lot more dangerous than it looks.
“Sometimes what you’ll have is the water on top looks fine but just as little as one to two feet below the water the current can be moving three times as fast,” Brown said. “You can be knee-deep and people get swept away.”
Both Barber and Brown emphasized the importance of wearing a life jacket, swimming with a companion, and being wary of how unpredictable the water can be.
