Boy, man adrift in Columbia River current rescued

A man and a boy were rescued from the Columbia River on Wednesday afternoon near Marine Park in Vancouver.

Emergency crews were dispatched around 4:35 p.m. to a boat launch at the park, 4501 S.E. Columbia Way. The man and boy had drifted roughly 200 yards south of the boat launch and 400 yards downstream, Vancouver Fire spokesman Joe Spatz said.

Earlier, the boy was riding a scooter when he rode to the end of a dock and fell in, Spatz said. A man then jumped in to save the boy, but the current caused them to drift away from the dock.

After a Vancouver Fire boat and engine arrived, they directed a Multnomah County Sheriff’s boat to the their location.

“Once our captain gave them directions, they were right on top of those guys,” Spatz said.

Emergency crews cleared the scene around 5:06 p.m.

After being brought to shore, both were cold but uninjured, Spatz said. While air temperatures were well over 60 degrees Wednesday, the Columbia River at Vancouver hovered around 52 degrees, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

“The air is warm, but the water is cold,” Spatz said. “This is the time of year where we see a lot of drownings, unfortunately.”