In a quick and dramatic water rescue captured on video Wednesday afternoon, Vancouver firefighters pulled a man from the Columbia River as he clung to a log.
Witnesses called 911 about 3:45 p.m. when they watched a man jump from the Interstate 5 bridge about 60 feet into the cold river. It’s unclear why he jumped.
The Vancouver Fire Department’s boat responded within eight minutes, encountering abnormally high river levels due to recent flooding, which created a “dangerous and strong current of water coming from different directions,” said public information officer Bryan Fredrickson. In less than a minute, three extensively trained firefighters navigated the river as it pushed their 46-foot boat sideways. They rescued the man between pilings along the shore near the Red Lion Quay, a hotel on the Vancouver side of the river’s shoreline.