The Eureka Fire Protection District was dispatched to portions of the Meramec River four times on Sunday, June 16, for a water rescue, stalled boat engines, and boats running aground.
Deputy Chief William Stamberger said Eureka Fire was dispatched about 9:45 a.m. for a water rescue. Three people were canoeing and got stuck near Route 66 State Park.
He said two Eureka Fire boats were used to rescue the canoers from under a pedestrian bridge at the park.
“They crawled up on a big pile of floating debris that had kind of stuck there,” Stamberger said. “They needed help getting off. Most of the time (those who are rescued from the Meramec River) are on one side of the river and they can’t get back to the other side.”
Stamberger said the three people did not need medical assistance when they were brought back to shore.
The Big River and the Meramec River run through the Eureka Fire district, Stamberger said. Both rivers have boating operations that offer kayak and canoe trips near Eureka, he said.
Stamberger said the nice weather may have come into play for the increase in dispatches to the Meramec River on Sunday. Eureka Fire was not dispatched to the river on June 15.
“It was a hot weekend,” Stamberger said. “We get quite a bit of traffic on the rivers pretty frequently. Because we had quite a bit of nicer, warm weather, people were out on the rivers.”