Two Men Climb Tree as Otay River Rises in Jamul, East San Diego County

Two men were rescued from a tree in the middle of Otay River in Jamul on Monday.

Cal Fire’s swift water rescue team ordinarily wouldn’t find victims stranded up a tree. But this would be no ordinary rescue.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said the two men started hiking from Mexico two days ago. They got as far as the middle of the Otay River behind Skydive San Diego in Jamul.   

Chula Vista Firefighter Willie Armas did much of the translating for the rescuers.

“They were telling me they were here and trapped in that tree since this morning. They were a little bit injured," Armas said.

What makes this one of the most dangerous rescues that firefighters perform is the current. It can grab a victim or a firefighter and pull them down stream. It can drag them underwater and under the debris that’s fallen because of the storm.

The debris field in fast moving water is what Cal Fire, swift water Rescue Capt. Dan Twohy calls "the strainer."

“Strainers are killers. They stop the flow of people moving down the waterway but not the water. That causes drownings very, very quickly,” Capt. Twohy said.  

The two men are cold, wet, fatigued and experiencing low blood sugar by now, rescuers said.

“Being cold, being wet and then not sure how safe you are. That’s a terrifying experience, “ Capt. Twohy said.

The rescue moved much faster than the set up. From the time rescuers entered the water to the successful ferry across it, was just 19 minutes.

Chula Vista Battalion Chief Tim Mehrer said this team was up the road on another rescue when they were called to this one.

 “We know people are going to try to do what they need to do and it does put them in harm’s way, and like you were saying it can really put us in harm’s way going to get them, “ Battalion Chief Mehrer said.

With these uncommon storms come the challenge of sometimes protecting people from themselves.

“These are tough days, but these are the days we train for,” Capt. Twohy said.    

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department said it was one of the stranded men that called 9-1-1.

They were taken to a local hospital for treatment and then checked under the supervision of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.