Three safe after Boise River rescue in Eagle

Three young women are OK after a quick water rescue in the Boise River in Eagle on Wednesday evening, Eagle Fire Department Battalion Chief Rob Shoplock said.

Emergency responders received numerous, conflicting accounts of three or four people endangered while floating the river about 6:40 p.m., he said, and three young women were located at different spots along the river — two behind the Hilton Garden Inn and one downstream behind the Bella Aquila restaurant.

One was spotted on an island in the middle of the river and rescued via watercraft, Shoplock said.

“Another was in the water holding on to a tree or a limb ... the third person got out of the river on her own” farther downstream, he said.

All three were located and out of the water within about 20 minutes despite initial confusion about where they were, Shoplock said. All were checked out by Ada County paramedics, and one of them might have been transported to a local hospital as a precaution, he said.

The Eagle Fire Department water rescue team, Boise Fire Department dive team, Ada paramedics and the Ada County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the scene, he said.

With the river running high, fast and cold, he said, conditions are dangerous for floating the river. And Wednesday’s heat, reaching a record 101 degrees, prompted some to disregard the danger, despite there being signs all along the riverbank telling people that if they need to be rescued, they can be charged for the cost.

“With the warm temperatures it’s so tempting to go in the water, but with these flows ... we encourage people not to get out in the river right now until the flows slow,” Shoplock said.

This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 7:29 PM with the headline "Three safe after Boise River rescue in Eagle."