Fire crews rescue man from Spokane River

A man was rescued from the Spokane River Wednesday afternoon near the Sandifur Bridge in People’s Park.

The Spokane Fire Department received reports at about 4:30 p.m. of a distressed man in the river, about 25 feet from the north bank.

The man was pinned against some partially submerged trees due to the “hydraulic force” of the river, according to a fire department news release.

A jet-powered boat was launched form the TJ Meenach area and traveled up river.

The man was quickly pulled into the boat and taken to the south bank of the river where he was evaluated by paramedics. He was released without significant injury, the department said.

The man told fire officials he was in an inner tube near shore when the tube was grabbed by the current, pushing him against the trees. He was not wearing a life jacket and said he couldn’t swim, the fire department said.

The Spokane River’s current flow is 16,200 cubic feet per second, with a temperature of 47 degrees, according to the fire department.