Swift-water rescue team brings man to shore at Calawah River

Three sent to Forks Community Hospital and released, official says

A swift-water rescue team from Clallam County Fire District 1 works to bring a man to shore after an inflatable raft overturned Sunday in the Calawah River. (Clallam County Fire District 1)

A swift-water rescue team from Clallam County Fire District 1 works to bring a man to shore after an inflatable raft overturned Sunday in the Calawah River. (Clallam County Fire District 1)

FORKS — Three men were pulled from the Calawah River after their inflatable raft overturned and became lodged on rocks in the river, a Clallam County Fire District 1 official said.

All three adult men were transported to Forks Community Hospital on Sunday and later discharged, Fire Chief Bill Paul said.

None of the men, who were not identified, sustained any serious injuries, he added.

The fire district responded at 8:11 a.m. Sunday to a report of two people in the water and one on the shore of the river, and it deployed its swift-water rescue team, Paul said.

While the crew was en route, a second man reached the shore, Paul said.

Rescuers sent a swimmer into the water with a life vest to reach the third man, and all three were taken to the boat launch, where they were transported to the hospital by ambulance, Paul said.

The rescue team included five personnel from Fire District 1 certified in swift-water rescue plus one member each from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.

Paul said a local fishing guide, Bob Ball, assisted with rescue efforts.

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