Capital City Fire/Rescue rescued two people beneath the piers by the downtown Juneau public library on Monday afternoon, after they fell asleep at the make-shift homeless shelter and awoke to a rising tide surrounding them.
No injuries were reported, and medical treatment wasn’t necessary, CCFR Chief Richard Etheridge told the Empire.
A CCFR staffer put on a dry suit and swam out to get them, Etheridge said. He had the man and woman put on dry suits themselves, and escorted them out of the concrete hole in the wall through waist-high water.
CCFR also responded with rescue boats, but the space beneath the library was too small for a boat to enter. JPD also was on scene with a community service officer. The young couple was released after being medically evaluated.
Etheridge said the hard-to-access site beneath the library (which doubles as a parking garage) is frequently used for shelter by the homeless.
“We have had medical and fire calls there in the past. It is a well-known area to responders and the site is difficult to access,” he said by email later Monday afternoon.
The people who became stranded called the Coast Guard for help shortly after 1 p.m. Monday, and the agency asked CCFR to assist.
Minutes before the rescue call, many of CCFR’s units were at the Juneau International Airport for a report of a Boeing 737 that had a mechanical issue and was expected to have a hard landing. The plane ended up landing safely without any issues.
In the middle of a rescue call, another 911 came in for a suicide/overdose in North Douglas, that prompted a CCFR and Juneau Police Department response.
Scenes from a rescue call downtown Monday afternoon.
Scenes from a rescue call downtown Monday afternoon.
Scenes from a rescue call downtown Monday afternoon.
