If you saw/heard a lot of emergency activity around the Normandy Park Cove on Wednesday morning, July 26, 2023, here’s what happened:
Crews from King County Fire District #2 responded to the Cove around 9:46 a.m. on Wednesday morning, after a reporting party witnessed what he believed was a man walking into the waters of Puget Sound in regular street clothes, wearing a backpack.
After getting approximately 75-feet off shore, this individual began becoming fully submersed in the water and calling for help.
Engine 329 was first on scene and was able to visualize a head in the water from shore.
The second arriving apparatus got on scene with a rescue swimmer on board and deployed into the Sound.
Unfortunately, by this time the subject in the water had gone under prior to the rescue swimmer getting into the water.
Boat 328 from the Burien station arrived shortly thereafter after launching from north of the incident.
Rescue efforts continued for a little over an hour with help from the Coast Guard, a passing Fish and Wildlife boat, King County Sheriff’s Office, Normandy Park Police, and partner fire departments South King Fire and their rescue boat Zenith, Puget Sound Fire, and Valley Regional Fire and their dive team.
“At this time the incident has converted to a recovery effort and the King County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team is working a wide area around where the victim was last seen,” Ray Desmarais, Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal for King County Fire District #2 told South King Media.
No further information is available at this time.
