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Columbia River Fire and Rescue firefighters Lt. Rich Leanna, Eric Wonderly, Ron Cordell and Captian Michael Gorsuch wheel a patient to a waiting LIfeFlight helicopter on the evening of Aug. 18.The patient, Joshua Gifford, was burned in an explosion aboard a boat docked at the Scappoose Bay Marina.
Photo courtesy Columbia River Fire and Rescue
SCAPPOOSE — A 25-year-old Idaho man was transported via LifeFlight helicopter to Emanuel Hospital on Aug. 18 after an explosion aboard a fishing vessel that he was working on.
Joshua Gifford, of Cambridge, Idaho, was in the cabin of a 24-foot Tolly Craft vessel that he and others had used in a gillnet operation on the Columbia River when the explosion occurred. The explosion occurred at the Scappoose Bay Marina, across the Multnomah Channel from the north end of Sauvie Island.
"We don't yet know what caused the explosion," Sheriff Jeff Dickerson said in a press release issued on the evening of Aug. 18. "As we understand it, Mr. Gifford was working on the vessel as it was idling and tied up to the dock. The explosion was heard, and several witnesses saw Mr. Gifford leap into the water."
According to Hyla Ridenour, Community Liaison Specialist with Columbia River Fire and Rescue, emergency crews called for LifeFlight helicopter just after arriving on scene and the helicopter arrived within 15 minutes of activation.
The explosion remains under investigation by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Coast Guard. Columbia River Fire and Rescue also responded and assisted at the scene.
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