A Monday report indicated that the man was swimming to recover some property that was in deeper water

The Vancouver Fire Department responded to a water rescue at Wintler Park on Sunday (July 27) at about 8:48 p.m. after reports that a 52-year-old male entered the Columbia River to assist a 5-year-old child struggling to stay afloat.

An initial report indicated that, according to witnesses, the man successfully rescued the child but then went under the water and was not seen again. A later report indicated that the man was swimming 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 victim’s family.

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 10:39 p.m. Sunday 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.

Vancouver Fire Department Rescue Boat 1 was on scene again Monday today (July 28) to search for the body using sonar equipment and standard search patterns. Fire Boat 1 is equipped with new sonar equipment to enhance search efforts.

Information provided by the Vancouver Fire Department.