Emergency personnel are converging on a popular beach along the Mendocino Coast this evening after reports emerged of a subject stuck on a rock offshore.
Scanner traffic began around 7:03 p.m. and indicated a subject wearing an orange floatation device was unable to make it back to shore and stuck on a rock off the popular Van Damme State Beach along Highway 1 south of Fort Bragg.
Firefighters, Coast Guard, and State Parks lifeguards are en route to the area and an air ambulance has been requested.
At 7:11 p.m. an Incident Commander with a local firefighting agency reported they were on the scene and did not have a visual on the subject but reported they would continue searching.
As of 7:15 p.m., the Incident Commander reported the lifeguards are deploying into the water and characterized the incident as a “potential body recovery.”
UPDATE 7:24 p.m.: The Incident Commander reported that upon the lifeguards’ arrival at the location of the reported stranded subject, they found a clump of crab pot buoys. Ultimately, the call-out proved to be a false report.
Please remember that this story is unfolding. Information is being reported as we gather it. However, some of the information coming from witnesses and initial official reports could be wrong. We will do our best to get the facts but, in the case that something is inaccurate, we will update with correct information as soon as we can.
