A 28-year-old man drowned in a river Sept. 21 at the Flaming Geyser State Park.

According to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, Juan Macias Martinez died in Auburn as a result of asphyxia by drowning in a river. The medical examiner’s office identified Martinez’s death as an accident.

According to Brandyn Hull, a spokesperson for the King County Sheriff’s Office, the investigating agency for the incident, emergency services received reports of a potential drowning on the evening of Sept. 21. King County Sheriff’s Office deputies and members of the sheriff’s office’s Marine Rescue Dive Unit responded to the Flaming Geyser State Park at around 6 p.m.

First responders searched the river for approximately one hour prior to the recovery of Martinez by divers. Medical personnel at the scene attempted to resuscitate Martinez unsuccessfully.

According to Hull, the drowning potentially resulted from water entering Martinez’s hip waders.

Martinez wore heavy clothing, likely a sweater, and no life jacket, Hull stated.

Mountain View Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Dustin Trout said Martinez was pulled downriver after water got inside his waders. He was dragged into a recycle pool, but MVFR responders couldn’t get to Martinez because the department is not equipped or trained for fast water rescue.

Other agencies had to help the department with kayaks and various cameras to locate Martinez and allow MVFR rescue swimmers to pull him out.

“We have rescue swimmers… but to identify where the patient is, you have to have swift-water rescue personnel, which we do not have certified at this time,” Trout said. “A rescue swimmer can go into… non-moving water to be able to rescue people… where swift-water rescue techs cannot go into the water until systems are set in place; upriver and downriver containments are set up, and they have the right flotation devices to be able to get into the river to be able to move in the water correctly.”