CONDON, OR — A 28-year-old man from Portland drowned Saturday afternoon while fishing with family on the John Day River near J.S. Burres Park, according to the Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office.
Emergency crews were dispatched around 2:36 p.m. after Frontier Regional 911 received a text reporting a person lost and injured in the water. Further updates quickly confirmed a possible drowning upriver from Cottonwood State Park.
Responders from the Gilliam and Sherman County sheriff’s offices, South Gilliam County Ambulance, Sherman County Emergency Services, and Oregon State Parks were deployed to the remote area, which suffers from poor cell reception.
At approximately 2:51 p.m., dispatchers received another message stating the man had been recovered and was being transported downstream to meet first responders at J.S. Burres Park. Despite efforts by family and nearby river users to administer life-saving measures, the man was pronounced dead at the scene by medical professionals.
Investigators say the victim had been swept away from the riverbank by fast-moving currents and was underwater for nearly 10 minutes before being located.
The sheriff’s office noted that the river is still flowing at higher-than-normal rates and urged the public to take safety precautions when recreating near water.
No further information is being released out of respect for the family.