A holiday outing turned to tragedy Wednesday afternoon, as rescue personnel were unable to revive an 8-year-old boy who disappeared in a pool on the Santa Ynez River, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The boy, whose name and hometown were not immediately available, was pulled from the water about 1:35 p.m., some 45 minutes after he was last seen, according Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason.
The pool, which is 15 to 20 feet deep with very poor water visibility, is near the Live Oak day-use area, at the second river crossing along Paradise Road, Eliason said. It is in an area of Los Padres National Forest that is popular with swimmers and picnickers, especially on a holiday such as the Fourth of July.
Personnel from the U.S. Forest Service as well as citizen volunteers searched the pool for the boy, and eventually found him, Eliason said.
Paramedics attempted to revive the child, but were not successful, and he was declared dead at the scene, said Eliason, who added that the boy’s body was taken to a nearby ranger station for pickup by a mortuary.
Personnel from the Sheriff’s Department, American Medical Response and CALSTAR air ambulance also responded to the incident, Eliason said.
Check back with Noozhawk for more details as they become available.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.