Fire crews unable to recover woman’s body from raging Spokane River

Spokane firefighters tried for several hours Tuesday morning to recover the body of a woman who reportedly jumped from the Monroe Street Bridge.

Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said the call for a water rescue came in about 7:30 a.m., when witnesses said a woman in her mid-20s jumped from the bridge and briefly surfaced, apparently conscious.

Schaeffer said firefighters tracked the woman down river for several miles but when they saw her near Spokane Falls Community College, she appeared unconscious. The rescue effort then turned into a recovery effort.

Because of a high water level and fast current, Schaeffer said he wasn’t sure if firefighters would be able to recover the body.