CONWAY, New Hampshire — Eleven people were rescued from the flooded Saco River on Monday afternoon. According to the Conway Fire Department in New Hampshire, the water level is multiple feet above where it should be this time of year.
"The water is high and it's moving on and if you don't have good experience, you can't control it," Conway Fire Chief Stephen Solomon said. "Fortunately they were all wearing life jackets, or the outcome would have been terrible."
All people rescued were safely brought to shore, according to the department. Chief Solomon said they got lucky.
"To me, it was pure luck no one was killed yesterday, it's a high-risk scenario for everyone involved, as well as the people who were still stuck in the water. It takes us more than an hour to get there and they were still in the water, so it was pure luck no one was killed yesterday," Chief Solomon said.
A total of 23 people have been rescued from the water this summer by Conway fire crews. Chief Solomon said the average for summers is usually six to 10 people.
He credited the high water levels in the Saco River brought on by consistent periods of rain this spring and summer. He said the ground is already saturated with water, and it would take an entire week of sunny weather for the river to return to normal levels.
"Things can go sideways pretty quickly; you can be in what looks like flat water and if you paddle out, you can be swept away. If you're in ankle-deep water you can also be swept away," Chief Solomon said.
It's not only people who are at risk of the high waters. Canoe and tube outfitters aren't making nearly as much money.
At Saco Canoe Rental in Conway, owner Peter Gagne said his sales are down more than 70 percent for rentals.
"This has been the worst summer in 25 years," Gagne said. "For the month of July, we have been open for five days."
Gagne said any time they have been open, it has been for adults only, as the water levels and currents are still at high levels.
"It's been very frustrating," Gagne added.
The Fryeburg Police Department said it is tracking down the canoe rental company that sold to the people who had to be rescued Monday. The department said that the rental company will be billed for the cost of the rescue, which included multiple agencies, including the Maine Warden Service.
"This week just be safe, know before you go into any river in New England, and make sure you have a life jacket," Gagne said.