Authorities in California are issuing a warning after a recent spike in drownings and near-drownings at Lake Tahoe.
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00:00 This was the latest water rescue for
00:02 the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection
00:04 District, a near drowning they got to
00:06 just in time. It's been a busy year
00:08 for us on the lake. Busier than past
00:10 years. I can say Chief Ryan Summers
00:12 says droves of people have been
00:14 heading up to the lake to escape
00:16 the heat and check out the high
00:18 water levels. But many underestimate
00:19 just how cold that water is.
00:21 People are coming up here thinking
00:22 they're immune to the cold water
00:24 and and nothing's going to happen
00:26 to them and they dive in and even
00:28 though it's so warm outside the
00:30 air temperature so warm.
00:31 I believe yesterday or the water
00:33 temperatures either 64 or 67 degrees,
00:34 which is pretty darn cool when you
00:36 jump in. This is resulted in a
00:38 number of calls for the department.
00:40 This latest rescue was one of the
00:42 lucky ones. See the catastrophic
00:44 full drownings. We've had four of
00:46 them just in our district this summer,
00:48 and that's a high number for us.
00:50 We've had three to four what we call
00:53 submersions or near drownings.
00:54 Another factor plays a big part whether
00:56 you're in the water or on a boat.
00:58 If you decide to take on alcohol or
01:01 any other type of recreational items,
01:03 that does not help your circulatory
01:05 system to keep the body warm when
01:07 you're still water. So he's pleading
01:08 with people to test the water.
01:10 Don't swim alone and come prepared.
01:12 Even if you think you're the greatest swimmer,
01:14 please wear that flotation device when
01:16 you go into Lake Tahoe. It will save your life.