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The Saskatoon Fire Department responded to a boat in distress last night on the South Saskatchewan River.

The 911 call came in at 8:36 p.m. and the caller told the dispatcher that a boat was being carried down river because the boat operator couldn’t start the outboard engine.

The boat operator was in communication with the Fire Dispatch Centre and the Engine Company Captain who provided instructions to throw anchor and slow the boat down. They were then able to restart the outboard engine.

In the meantime, the SFD Water Rescue boat was launched and accompanied the boat to the boat launch.

After a release from Gardiner Dam the South Saskatchewan River is currently seeing flows in excess of 700 cubic metres per second with the river rising to two feet above normal. The Saskatoon Fire Department does not deploy divers when the river flows exceed 450 cubic metres per second. The release from Gardiner Dam was due to excessive rainfall in Alberta in recent weeks.