Swimmer Thought To Have Drowned After Dive Into Columbia River

A 21-year-old man is missing and thought to have drowned in a mishap on the Columbia River on the night of the Fourth of July.

Sheriff's deputies and firefighters were called to the scene after witnesses say the man dove off an embankment across the river from Spanish Castle.

Wenatchee Valley Fire Department spokesperson Kay McKellar says the man was with a group of people.

"There were a few people in their early 20s that were out in the water, and one of them jumped off the cliff and has not been located," said McKellar.

Rescue crews searched extensively underwater and failed to locate the man after the mishap was reported at about 8:15pm.

It's not clear if the group accessed the steep shoreline on the Chelan County side of the river by boat or traveling on a rural road well south of Colockum Road.

McKellar says Wenatchee Valley Fire sent three divers to the scene while both the Chelan and Grant county sheriff's offices had boats combing the water for the man.

"We did send out out rescue swimmers and divers," McKellar said. "They did have a boat that had some typed of sonar equipment, as our guys went down to 40 feet and didn't locate anyone there."

A chaplain was contacted to assist the family of the man.

Wenatchee Valley Fire Department reports heavy emergency activity on Fourth of July night, ranging from sick people to falls to accidents

A brush fire was reported in Orondo. There were also six separate fireworks related fires in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee.