A docked boat that broke loose due to rising river waters caused quite the commotion near the lunch hour on Thursday, according to a press release from the Manhattan Fire Department.
At 10:51 a.m. MFD was dispatched to the area of Pillsbury Drive and Linear Trail for a report of an out of control boat with two male occupants. The original report placed the boat on the Kansas River behind Aldi’s.
Boats from MFD and the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office searched the area and were able to find an empty boat on the river. The original information about two occupants was confirmed to be false, and after the Kansas Highway Patrol helicopter flew the river and found no persons, the search ended. The boat found was determined to have been tied off upstream on the Kansas River and had come loose during the recent rising waters. The boat’s owner was contacted and was en route to retrieve the boat.
Also responding on the call were the Riley County Police Department, Riley County EMS, Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office, Pottawatomie County Emergency Management, Pottawatomie County Consolidated Fire District #1, Blue Township Fire Department, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, and the Kansas Highway Patrol.
