Two weekends ago a canoe from a Haines guiding company transporting nine people took on water at Chilkoot lake. Its passengers spent a substantial amount of time in the lake’s cold water as they swam to shore before being rescued. We spoke with Haines Fire Chief Brian Clay about the incident, and the department’s response. 

 

On a windy Sunday afternoon at the far end of Chilkoot lake, a group on a canoe tour with Haines guiding company Alaska Mountain Guides ran into troubles.

Clay: “It was blowing probably15, gusts to 25 up there.”

Haines Fire Chief Brian Clay was at the lake, fishing with his grand daughter. 

Clay: “My understanding is they started taking on water and as it swamped, they couldn’t bail fast enough and it just swamped itself.”

As the canoe took on water, seven elderly passengers and two guides found themselves swimming for shore. They were all reportedly wearing floatation devices, and spent about a half hour in the glacier fed lake before reaching shore.

Another boat front the guiding company reportedly picked them up from the beach and brought them to the parking lot, where Chief Clay met them.

Clay: “They all had hypothermia, and three were critical, and three were walking, or green as we say in our business.”

The three critical patients were sent by private vehicles to meet with ambulances on their way from town. The four other patients were escorted to the clinic in fire and police department vehicles. At least five of the patients were later medevaced, according to Clay, and ambulance volunteers were busy late into the night shuttling those patients between the clinic and the airport.

Clay says once activated, the emergency response went smoothly. But the first call to 911 was directed to the wrong dispatcher.

Clay: “I believe the initial 911 call went to Fairbanks regional office for the sat phones, and they didn’t know where Chilkoot lake was. We dialed directly the 2121 [local] number and that’s how we activated 911.”

KHNS could not check directly on the health of the patients. Alaska Mountain Guide owner Sean Gaffney did not respond to multiple requests for comments.