Five family members trying to raft the cold and swift moving Stanislaus River were rescued Tuesday afternoon by Ripon firefighters who found them forced up against a log jam near Mohler and Moncure roads west of the Jack Tone Golf Course.Ripon Fire Chief Dennis Bitters said all the victims were out of the water by 4:35 p.m., some 40 minutes after the 911 call was made by the group using a cellphone.The fire call brought firefighters from several agencies including Lathrop-Manteca Fire Department and the Manteca Fire Department. The Ripon boat crew located the group that ranged in age from a 6-year-old child to a 60-year-old woman. Others in the group were said to be 12, 18 and 38 years old.The Lathrop-Manteca boat crew responded with two boats but were cancelled as they pulled up to the scene, according to Lathrop’s Battalion Chief Larry Madoski.
Firefighters rescue five from river by Ripon