ARIZONA—On June 14, USDA Forest Service Law Enforcement officers, special agents and a patrol captain rescued over 100 stranded tubers at Pirates Island along the Lower Salt River in Mesa Ranger District on the Tonto National Forest. They had fallen off their tubes and were caught in debris and overgrowth from large tree branches that jutted 10-15 feet over and into the water, obstructing the passage. Once in water, they were caught in the brush and unable to escape the overwhelming current.

The Maricopa County sheriff’s office was also on scene. They were further down river with airboats to retrieve tubers who were unable to be stopped at Pirates Island.

The water created a convex effect in the overgrowth, endangering lives of tubers caught in the brush. A woman pinned to a branch and later rescued sustained possible injuries to her ankle. Dozens of users lost their tubes and were stranded on the shoreline with other tubers who had been able to safely exit the water prior to reaching the obstruction. More than 100 tubers were onshore, complicating the situation further.

On multiple occasions Forest Service Law Enforcement personnel and good Samaritans literally went “out on a limb” and pulled out tubers who were being sucked into the overgrowth and down toward the undercurrent. Sheriff’s office airboats later arrived on scene at Pirates Island in time to assist the Forest Service personnel attempting to physically dislodge an adult female who was being sucked into the overgrowth. She was successfully pulled aboard the airboat, only sustaining minor abrasions and bruising.

After ensuring the area was safe, a Forest Service law enforcement officer, who is also a certified sawyer, began cutting branches to clear the obstruction. The remaining Forest Service Law Enforcement personnel and special agents on scene continued to rescue more tubers until they were able to cut the entirety of the large branch containing the overgrowth and debris such as tubes and coolers. Once the obstruction was removed, the remainder of tubers, who no longer had tubes, were transported by law enforcement to a relocation point to be reunited with family and friends.

Thanks to the quick work and successful collaboration between the Forest Service,  Maricopa County sheriff’s office and emergency medical service crews, despite the rapidly evolving situation, there was no loss of life and relatively few injuries.