SEATTLE — Authorities have responded to several drownings across western Washington as record-breaking heat hits the region.
A heat wave began last week with temperatures in the 90s for three straight days across the Puget Sound area. Cooling is expected to begin Wednesday, but temperatures will remain in the 80s for much of the region through the weekend.
The Renton Police Department responded to a possible drowning at Gene Coulon Beach on Lake Washington early Tuesday morning. People were using flashlights to search for a friend in the water off the pier, according to Renton police.
Dive personnel brought a 26-year-old man to the surface. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Renton police do not believe the incident is suspicious.
Within the last week, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office responded to two drownings at Eagle Falls, a popular swimming area on the South Fork of the Skykomish River along U.S. 2.
On July 4, a 24-year-old man got pulled under the current while swimming at Eagle Falls with another person. He didn’t resurface. A rescue swimmer pulled the man from the water.
First responders performed CPR for over an hour and took the man to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett where he was pronounced dead.
On July 6, another man was pulled under the current at Eagle Falls. A civilian rescued him using a floatation device.
The sheriff’s office said there have been three drownings at Eagle Falls this year.
It warned river currents are swift and water temperatures are very cold, about 48 degrees. Sgt. Greg Sanders with the sheriff’s office’s search and rescue unit said that just because there have been several days of 90-degree weather, that doesn’t mean the rivers have warmed that significantly.
“The temperature variance (of rivers) isn’t that much difference from the start of summer to the end of summer because the water is coming from the mountains or it’s coming from snowpack,” Sanders said.
If you do go out on the water, the sheriff’s office recommends the following safety tips:
- Always wear a life jacket when you are on the water. Never go near moving water without one.
- Beach logs, river banks and rocks near the shore are usually slippery. A fall can knock you unconscious and prevent you from being able to save yourself.
- Consider bringing a whistle. If you are in trouble, it could help alert nearby people.
- Keep kids within arm's reach. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under.
- Don't dive in. Two-thirds of catastrophic neck injuries occur in open water and the sea.