FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KMJ) — A family of 8 spent the night stranded on the Courtright Reservoir, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office says.
The Sheriff’s Office explained, the family took the boat onto the reservoir Sunday but got out to have dinner at their camping spot. As they were eating, they noticed changing water levels had brought their boat to the shore, where it got stuck.
“Water levels fluctuate regularly in this area due to water being released to produce electricity,” the Sheriff’s Office explained.
Monday morning, FCSO says the family tried to use a shovel to get the boat free, but it didn’t work. There’s no cell reception in the area, and no road accessible from where the group was trapped. They thought they were out of luck.
Thankfully, though, deputies with FCSO’s Off-Highway Vehicle Unit noticed the family while out on their regular patrols Monday and went over to help.
The deputies dug, pushed, and used a winch on their side-by-side OHV. It took three hours of labor, but they eventually pried up the boat.
“Needless to say, the group was very thankful the deputies happened to cruise by, putting them in the right place at the right time,” the Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
