Firefighters urge caution after rescuing 16 from Arkansas River

Sand Springs firefighters are urging people to be more cautious around the Arkansas River after rescuing 16 people who became trapped while riding ATVs.

Water levels rise quickly after rain, creating dangerous conditions

Sand Springs firefighters want people to be more careful after first responders rescued 16 people in the Arkansas River.

Those folks were riding ATVs in the river when the water got too high and they all got stuck. Sand Springs firefighters say all of those people are OK.

They say the Arkansas River is a popular spot for people trying to have some fun, but when there's been a lot of rain, the conditions can get dangerous quick.

It may look calm on the sandbanks of the Arkansas River, but firefighters will tell you that looks can be deceiving.

"A lot of times if they're riding four-wheelers or a lot of times they'll be out looking for arrowheads or doing stuff like that, they're looking down and they're not looking up, well when the water starts releasing it starts filling up those pockets really fast," said Sand Springs Fire Chief Jeremy Wade-Sims.

Chief Jeremy Wade-Sims says more than a dozen people learned a tough lesson about the water after they had to be rescued in the middle of the river.

In just a matter of minutes, two different groups of people riding ATVs in the sandbanks got stuck when the water started rising.

Firefighters used drones and boats to help get the group to safety.

"There's pockets of deep water, so when we're putting a boat in the water, there's areas that's deep enough for the boat, then there's areas that's not, so they may be on a sandbar that's hard to get access to," Wade-Sims said.

On top of the fast-moving water, Wade-Sims says the debris in the river is a challenge when it comes to rescues.

He recommends people find safer spots to have some fun.

"Water is very deceiving, we've seen the drownings here recently, the water is deceiving, you don't think it's moving fast 'til you're in it," Wade-Sims said.

Conditions in the river are expected to become even more dangerous with additional rain expected.

The fire chief says this is the fourth water rescue Sand Springs firefighters have had to make in just the last two weeks. He says these rescues also put the lives of first responders at risk.