The incident happened about 6 p.m., as some 300 people were escaping the 96-degree heat by swimming and sitting around the pond.

The little girl’s name and her condition were not available immediately.

Witnesses told Fire District 6 paramedics and sheriff’s deputies the girl was splashing in the pond with many other children until one man noticed she’d gone under. He quickly waded into the water and pulled her out, said Sgt. Tim Bieber with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. Her rescuer’s name wasn’t available.

“The little girl was in the water, and some bystanders say she was flailing her arms, and people thought she was just playing with other kids,” he said. “People said she was underwater for more than two minutes. She was there with her family from Portland, her father, grandmother and some aunts.”

As soon as the man pulled the little girl out of the water, Jennifer Bean of Vancouver pushed bystanders out of the way and started cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Bean said she learned CPR as a requirement while attending Apollo College for a health career. She said she and her husband were leaving the park when she heard someone yell, “My baby!”

She dropped her stuff and ran to the concession stand where she did chest compressions and rescue breathing until the girl vomited up some water.

Pamela Gotcher of Vancouver said her son told her there was a little girl floating in the water, and she called 911. In a few minutes, she said, “Word filtered back that the little girl started breathing on the way to the hospital.”

 The girl was transported to Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, where staff members worked on her for less than an hour before sending her by helicopter to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland.

“In this hot weather, people need to remember their basic water safety tips,” Bieber said. “The water is still very cold. Even if you are a good swimmer, water can still cramp you up and quickly create problems in water.”