MONROE — On the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 5, Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue (SRFR) and additional fire crews were dispatched for a man in a small boat going down the raging Skykomish River in Monroe who’d called 911.
“Because of the darkness, river conditions, and limited access, launching a boat was too dangerous for fire crews,” SRFR spokesman Peter Mongillo wrote. “The decision was made to stage down river at the state Route 522 overpass over the Snohomish River in hopes they could get the man to grab a rope. WSP closed the highway for some time to allow firefighters to safely work. Snohomish Fire District 4 also staged farther downriver.”
He was in a small aluminum boat with no oars and had a small headlamp, SRFR said, and he’d gotten past the confluence of the Snoqualmie and Skykomish Rivers and was now in the Snohomish River going toward SR522.
Snohomish County Fire District 26 launched their drone in the pouring rain to get a visual of the man in the boat.
SRFR reported that “once the drone made visual contact with the man, a firefighter positioned himself at the base of the state Route 522 overpass and helped guide firefighters above the river on where to throw the rope.
“Once below the crews, a SRFR firefighter tossed the line and it landed in the boat. The man grabbed the rope and stood up, causing the boat to turn 180 degrees with the transom of the boat facing the strong currents. The power of the river ripped the boat from under the man tossing him out of the boat and into the river filled with large tree debris and heavy currents.
“The man began to swim to the shore just west of state Route 522 and east of Three Rivers Mobile Home Park and was able to hold onto a stable tree in the river.
“At 7:40 p.m. SRFR crews cut through thick blackberry bushes and pulled the man to safety.” The victim walked onto shore and was transported to a local hospital.
It was approximately four miles. The man was in the river for over an hour.
