Divers recover 18-year-old and 8-year-old from pond in Fresno riverbottom
Two people reported missing in the water Saturday near the Fort Washington Beach campground were recovered by water rescue teams.
Their condition at the hospital was not immediately available.
The campground is off Lanes Road, west of Friant Road, and has several large ponds next to the San Joaquin River. It is just north of Woodward Park.
Brad Dandridge, a Fresno Fire battalion chief, said the two people were submerged for more than an hour and were “pulse-less and not breathing.”
They were taken to a local hospital, he said. Officials on the scene said one of those recovered was 18 years old and the other was an 8-year-old boy.
The fire department got an emergency call about 12:30 p.m. of two people who had gone under the water and had not resurfaced.
Fresno Fire Battalion Chief Mike Gilbert said both victims were trapped in the water and were found in an area “full of grass that is 5 to 10 feet tall at the deepest part of the pond” and were “completely wrapped up.”
Crews cut the grass to free both victims, who then were taken to Saint Agnes Medical Center.
Divers from American Ambulance, Fresno Fire Department and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office searched the water while the sheriff’s helicopter Eagle One searched from the air.
A chaplain was on the scene to assist frantic family members.
Dangers in the water
Gilbert said he understands that people are tempted to swim in local waterways as temperatures soar, but he warns them not to swim in unknown conditions.
“Always have (personal flotation devices) on,” he said. “Especially if you’re not a strong swimmer. Always wear a personal flotation device while you’re out there and don’t go any farther than you can see what’s underneath you. They can turn tragic really quick as has happened here today.”
