Category Archives: Water

Events, Rafting, safety, Water

Drunken brawls erupt on sunny American River raft route

Even the most serene setting can turn ugly, given enough time and alcohol.

That truism was proved Saturday on the American River during the second annual Rafters Gone Wild. Luring more than 3,000 people onto the water for a peaceful float, the event eventually degenerated into a series of brawls and rock-throwing incidents.

For much of the day, law enforcement and fire rescue officials busied themselves keeping watch over rafters having trouble with rapids or falling out of their boats.

By 5 p.m., however, dozens were fighting on the shores of Ancil Hoffman Park, beating each other with paddles or rocks and hurling stones at fire and rescue boats, officials said.

“It started out fairly reasonable, but as they day went on, the drunkenness and the fights increased with them,” said Sgt. Randy Lewis, a Sacramento County park ranger. He added that law enforcement officials were dealing with fights constantly after 5 p.m.

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Events, Rafting, safety, Water

Authorities out in force as Rafters Gone Wild gets under way

More than 1,000 rafters have taken to the American River in today’s second annual Rafters Gone Wild event publicized through Facebook and other social media that’s expected to draw as many as 3,000 revelers to the Sacramento waterway.

Law enforcement and rescue personnel are out in force, with as many as 50 to 60 officers patrolling the waters, authorities said.

Scott Cockrum, deputy chief of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department, said there has been one call for rescue so far with a person struggling in the San Juan rapids without a life jacket. While the rafting events initial hours have been calm, Cockrum said it could take hours before authorities start to see problems on the river.

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Fire, safety, Water, Wildlife

Progress in fighting Robbers fire

Firefighters will spend the day trying to fully contain a sprawling Placer County wildfire that has displaced almost 300 people since Wednesday.

About 1,400 firefighters are battling the Robbers Fire, which began at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in Shirttail Canyon between Colfax and Foresthill, about 40 miles northeast of Auburn. The fire has burned 1,157 acres and is 10 percent contained.

Firefighters scored a win late Thursday when they stopped the blaze from moving into a steep canyon that would have funneled the flames north toward the small community of Colfax, said Cal Fire spokesman Brice Bennett. Firefighters will spend Friday shoring up their defenses at the canyon’s mouth, he said.

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Fire, safety, Water, Wildlife

Fire near Foresthill spurs evacuation order

Residents of homes scattered throughout a rugged area of Placer County northwest of Foresthill were evacuated Wednesday afternoon as a fire that started near the north fork of the American River burned up the side of the canyon.

The fire was reported to be 20 percent contained – at 200 acres – shortly before 10 p.m.

The fire, which began about 3:20 p.m., was on the east, or Foresthill side, of the river. As of early evening, it was moving toward Iowa Hill.

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Fire, safety, Water, Wildlife

Evacuations Ordered in Foresthill Area

Several agencies are fighting the Robbers Fire in Placer County near Foresthill. The fire is burning in dense forest near homes, and evacuations have been ordered. The 200-acre blaze is 20 percent contained as of late Wednesday.

FORESTHILL EVACUATION SHELTER TO REMAIN OPEN THROUGH NIGHT BECAUSE OF ROBBERS FIRE, BUT COLFAX EVACUATION CENTER IS CLOSED

The evacuation center at the Foresthill Veterans Memorial Hall at 24601 Harrison Road in Foresthill has been designated an overnight shelter for residents displaced by the Robbers Fire.

At 7:45 p.m., about 25 people were staying at the Foresthill shelter. It is being operated by the American Red Cross with support from the Placer County Health and Human Services Department.

A decision was made to close the evacuation center at the Colfax Veterans Memorial Hall in Colfax because no one was staying there Wednesday evening.

The fire is burning in rugged terrain east of the north fork of the American River. The fire is on the Foresthill side of the river and moving toward Iowa Hill.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for residents in the Kings Hill Road and Bushy Bear Ridge areas that remained in effect at 9 p.m. Wednesday. The Sheriff’s Office also made an emergency broadcast notice for residents within a one-mile radius of Iowa Hill to be ready to evacuate Wednesday evening.

At 9:45 p.m., Cal FIRE reported the fire had burned about 200 acres, but was 20 percent contained. It is burning near Yankee Jim’s and Shirttail Canyon roads.

safety, Water

Body found in American River near Watt Avenue

Firefighters have pulled the body of a man from the American River upstream of Watt Avenue.

At 1:18 p.m. this afternoon, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District received a report that a body was floating in the American River. Two fire boats and a helicopter began a search.

About a half hour later, a Sacramento County park ranger saw the corpse floating against the shoreline. Paramedics on board a fire boat determined that the man was dead, and no lifesaving measures were taken, said district spokesman Assistant Chief Walt White.

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Rafting, safety, Water

Rafters ‘getting the message’ about holiday alcohol ban on American River

Titus Cannon did a quick inventory before he hit the American River on Wednesday to join thousands of others for a July Fourth rafting trip.

Red Bull? Check.

Water? Check.

Chips? Check.

Booze? Not a drop.

Cannon, a 21-year-old Sacramento State recreation major, was joining friends Ryan Smith and Hannah Robinson for a downstream trek from the Sunrise access point to William Pond Park, and none seemed to mind the alcohol ban in place now during the summer holidays.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Smith, a 21-year-old criminology major at CSU Sacramento. “Usually, you wouldn’t catch me on the water on a holiday anyways. It’s smart.”

Authorities banned drinking on the river during summer holidays five years ago between Hazel and Watt avenues, and the message appears to be getting across.

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Rafting, safety, Water

Swimmer drowns in American River

A man drowned while attempting to swim across the American River Tuesday afternoon.

Sacramento City Fire crews, DART and Yolo County Marine Patrols searched off of 1800 Northgate Boulevard at Highway 160, just north of downtown Sacramento, Sacramento City Fire Union spokesperson Tod Filbrun said.

The 53-year-old Sacramento resident attempted to swim across the river, but then had trouble.

“There was actually a floatie out there. It floated down the river from wherever it came from. He swam out to get it. And as he swam out to get it, he got really tired. By the time he got to it, he went under and started calling for help,” witness John Tompson said.

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