Man, 2 teenage boys rescued from Vancouver Lake

A father and two teenage boys were rescued Sunday afternoon after their rowboat sank in Vancouver Lake.

Vancouver firefighters responded at about 4:30 p.m. to the boat ramp on La Frambois Road. The father called 911 to report their 17-foot aluminum boat was taking on water, according to Clark County Fire District 6.

When crews arrived, they used binoculars to find the people. They were about 400 feet from the Felida moorage and were drifting to the outlet of the lake, Fire District 6 said.

Fire District 6 firefighters responded from the Felida moorage with an inflatable rescue boat and rescued the teenagers. A Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue crew also responded with a boat and pulled the man from the water, according to a Vancouver fire news release.

The three people were taken back to the La Frambois Road boat launch in stable condition and treated for cold exposure. They declined to be taken to an area hospital for further treatment, the Vancouver department said.

“Vancouver Lake looks pretty mellow, but like any body of water, winds can whip up and it can become hazardous very quickly,” Fire District 6 spokesman Dave Schmitke said in a news release. “We highly recommend wearing life jackets.”

The Vancouver Fire Department warned people that although the weather was warm over the weekend, area lakes and rivers are still very cold. The fire department said the water temperature at Vancouver Lake is about 50 degrees.