SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. — The Siloam Springs Kayak Park is closed until further notice after a weekend water rescue, the City announced on their website Monday.
According to the announcement, at around 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13, a woman fell off a float she was on with a young girl and was swept into the current. Soon after the woman fell in, the girl was stranded on the float before also falling in. While attempting to save the girl, a 16-year-old boy went into the water and was also swept downstream by the current, the announcement said.
Police and firefighters responded and ultimately found all three people and got them to shore safely. "All individuals involved in this incident were accounted for and fortunately appeared to be unhurt. The dedicated officers and firemen involved in the rescue operation thankfully remained unharmed as well," the City of Siloam Springs said.
Fire and police departments spoke with employees at the Kayak Park and the decision was made to shut down the park "until further notice."
Authorities continued to investigate into Monday night, stressing the importance of following water safety measures. "The incident underscores the importance of adhering to safety measures and maintaining vigilance, especially when the safety of young children and individuals is at stake."
Captain Derek Spicer with Siloam Springs police says the river was very high on Sunday, and when the water is higher than normal and is moving quickly it can create unsafe conditions.
"If it's higher than normal, you can tell by how fast the water is moving. When the water is really dirty brown that means there's a lot of debris coming down the river and you never know what's underneath the water...., especially in the Illinois river it's a dangerous river at times," said Captain Spicer.
"Not always at the kayak park but the watershed creates a lot of incidents where we are called to respond," said Battalion Chief Jordan Jackson
The fire department actually trains firefighters at the kayak park, just in case incidents like these happen again, Chief Jackson says that "The way the water is down there provides a great resource for us to go down there and train... and train in an area we're prone to do rescues in."
Today's weather in 5COUNTRY: Coldest night in over 2 months tonight, then heat by the weekend
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