Four People Rescued On Wenatchee River Saturday

Four people who were inner tubing the Wenatchee River over the weekend had to be rescued after becoming stranded.

Crews from Chelan County Fire District No. 1 and Douglas County Fire District No. 2 were sent to an area of the river near the Warm Springs Inn on Saturday night around 10:30.

They arrived to find two people who were clinging to rocks in the river and two others who were several hundred yards away on the far shoreline.

Chelan County 1 battalion chief, Pete Riggleman, says all things considered, it was a fairly easy rescue.

“They were able to walk them out. The river was shallow enough to stand them up and get them off the river that way.”

Riggleman says the four were not wearing life jackets and unfamiliar with the river. He adds they also made a poor choice regarding when to float it as well.

“They were from out of town and just didn’t know the area, and were rafting at night. If you don’t know where you’re going or know the river bottom, it’s probably not the best to go tubing after dark.”

The four began floating the river several hours earlier at around 8:00 p.m.

Several of the party’s inner tubes were torn by jagged rocks or lost downstream after being abandoned.