PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Two adults and four kids in distress were rescued from the Santiam River in Jefferson, Oregon Wednesday night, Albany Fire Department said.
The water rescue team responded to the scene just before 7:15 p.m. where crews said they found and rescued a man and three kids in a kayak. While officials said the family was secure, they noted only the kids were wearing life jackets.
Further up-river, crews said they rescued a woman who was clinging to vegetation roots along a bank with no way to escape the river.
Then continuing up-river, crews saved a teen sitting on a “strainer”, which they described as a tree that “strains” the water around it and can be a deadly trap. Officials said the area was surrounded by large tree branches, blackberry bushes and swift water, which rolled their rescue craft.
Officials said crew members sustained minor injuries during the rescue and reminds everyone to wear life jackets as conditions on the water can be dangerous.