Prince George, BC – Prince George Fire Rescue received assistance from a boat owner along the Nechako River this afternoon, as they worked to retrieve two people stranded on a small island in the middle of the river…

Fire Chief John Lane says the initial emergency call came in at 3:30, reporting that a female had fallen off a floatation device and was possibly still in the river near Stephens Drive.

Lane says Fire Rescue from two halls responded with three apparatus and a command vehicle to strategic locations downstream, RCMP and BCAS Paramedics were also on scene.  He says fire fighters in one of the fire trucks made voice contact with two people stranded on an island between Hanbury and Rustad Roads, west of the John Hart Bridge.

A resident from Del Haven Estates had a boat ready to deploy, took one fire fighter and river rescue equipment upstream to the island, where the two individuals were located unharmed.

Fire Chief Lane is cautioning that both the Fraser and Nechako Rivers are still running high, fast, and cold.  "Life jackets should be worn at all times by anyone floating, or boating on the rivers," he says.  "Additonal caution must also be exercised near river banks, where hidden erosion may cause sudden bank collapse."

This afternoon’s rescue comes after a similar incident last Sunday afternoon, when three teens had to be rescued from an island off Wilson Park in the Nechako River.  RCMP Corporal Craig Douglass says the three young women – two 16-year-olds and a 19-year-old – had been floating down the river on an inflatable tube that was impaled by debris in the water.  The trio swam to the nearby island.  They were not wearing life jackets.  All three were taken to UHNBC with minor scrapes following their rescue.

The BC Coroner’s Service continues to investigate the death of a 65-year-old city man who was found floating in the Fraser River last Sunday.  Foul play has been ruled out in his death.