Rash of Kings River rescues prompts warning from Fresno County deputies about tree hazard
Fresno County authorities made two rescues Tuesday morning on the Kings River and are now issuing a warning about a hazardous tree involved in several river rescues from the past week.
The first rescue was around 11:40 a.m. at Annadale and Riverbend avenues near Sanger.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said a father and his 15-year-old son were in separate kayaks.
The teen collided with a tree in the river that caused his kayak to flip over. Deputies said the teen clung to a tree as his dad went downstream in his kayak. The teen’s dad attempted to turn around to help, but his kayak flipped.
The man swam to shore safely and firefighters rescued both of them. Both were wearing life jackets.
Another call came in for a rescue involving two women and a dog on separate tubes as they collided with a different tree.
Cal Fire quickly arrived and rescued the group and dropped them off at shore. The women were not wearing life jackets.
Deputies said the tree in the incident with kayakers is “a major hazard that has been the site of four different rescues in the past six days.”
Deputies said the tree is too large to be removed, but advised rafters and boaters to avoid it if they stay to the right side on the west side of the river.
The tree is located about a ¼ mile south of the Annadale Bridge, north of the Goodfellow Bridge.
