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Sacramento Metropolitan firefighters rescued nearly 30 stranded rafters along the American River in just the past three days. The reason? The fast flowing American River is shoving rafts into trees, now under water, and popping the rafts like party balloons.
Sacramento County Park Ranger Steve Ingall describes the rafts as “modified pool toys.”
“People are just blatantly running the risk of killing themselves,” said Ingall.
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Snowmelt causing American River water levels to rise forces Sacramento County officials to close boat launch access near Sunrise Boulevard.
The increasing water levels along the American River are totaling more than 12,000 cubic feet per second (CFS), according to the California Bureau of Reclamation.
River rescue authorities continue to urge those partaking in river activities to use caution if they decide to get in the water at all.
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Sacramento Metro Fire water rescue teams were dispatched to the report of two people, a 38-year old female and a 10-year old male, stranded in shallow water on the high-flowing American River.
Fire crews quickly responded to the area and found the two standing in shallow, swift-moving water. They were assisted into the rescue boat and returned uninjured to shore. The pair said they were part of a three-raft flotilla, all tied together, when the raft’s tie rope became entangled in a bridge abutment and they had to cut free.
Once freed, the raft soon became caught in tree branches downriver, which they clung to fighting the strong current. They abandoned their boat and made it to shallow water; while their friends called 9-1-1 for help.
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