Vancouver, WA. — Official Release: The Vancouver Fire Department responded to a water rescue at Wintler Park on the evening of July 27 at approximately 8:48 p.m. after reports that a 54-year-old male entered the Columbia River to assist a 5-year-old child struggling to stay afloat.
According to witnesses, the man successfully rescued the child but then went under the water and was not seen again.
A total of 23 emergency personnel responded to the scene, including rescue swimmers from Vancouver Fire and Clark County Fire District 6, Vancouver’s Fire Boat, Portland Fire & Rescue’s rescue boat, and the US Coast Guard.
Rescue operations continued until 10:39p.m. and were then suspended. The incident has since been turned over to the US Coast Guard and the Vancouver Police Department for continued investigation and recovery efforts.
Editor’s Note: The following corrections were issued by VFD:
The man is 52 years old, not 54. His body has not yet been found.
The man was swiming to recover some property that was in deeper water. The 5 year old was not involved in any part of this drowning according to the vistim’s family.
Vancouver Fire Department Rescue Boat 1 is on scene again today (07/28/2025) to search for the body using sonar equipement and standard search patterns. Fire Boat 1 is equiped with new sonar equipement to enhance search efforts.
About the Author
