PORTLAND, Ore — A couple, their two grandchildren and two dogs were rescued Tuesday afternoon after their boat caught fire in the Multnomah Channel and they jumped into the water to swim for the shore.
All four family members were taken to a hospital and treated for hypothermia.
The family told rescuers they were out for an afternoon boat ride when the boat suddenly caught fire. It happened downstream from the Wapato Greenway on Sauvie Island.
Marine deputies in the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office River Patrol Unit responded to the fire around 3:30 p.m. and found the family and their dogs huddling in shallow water on a grassy knoll, the sheriff’s office said.
A deputy jumped into the water to help a man who couldn’t move due to hypothermia. The deputy crouched over the man and a dog to help keep them warm until medics arrived.
Rescuers took the family members and dogs to a nearby dock to receive medical attention. The four family members were later taken to a hospital.
Deputies said the river temperature in the Multnomah Channel was around 43 degrees, and the air temperature was around 50 degrees Tuesday afternoon.
The two children were wearing life jackets. Deputies said the life jackets likely saved their lives by helping them stay afloat in the cold water and reach the shore with less effort.
Portland firefighters and members of the U.S. Coast Guard found the boat, which was still ablaze and floating downstream. Firefighters put out the fire and ensured the boat was out of the main channel before it eventually sunk.
It’s unclear what caused the fire.
