Fruitland firefighters make water rescue

An unidentified man was rescued from the Mississippi River by Fruitland firefighters Saturday night.

The man had been fishing, according to Fruitland firefighter Ken Fauerbrunn.

"He'd turned his boat over some way or another. He was stranded out about 300 feet in the backwater, right at Neeley's Landing," Fauerbrunn said. "The river's over the banks, and it's got all up into the trees. When his boat flipped over, he was able to grab onto some trees and hold on."

Rescue crews from Fruitland and city of Cape Girardeau were dispatched at 7:45 p.m. Two Fruitland firefighters used a personal watercraft and were able to reach the man by 8:15 p.m., Fauerbrunn said. But they also helped a paddle boater reach dry land.

"He got into a little bit of trouble and had to be pulled back. He wasn't in any danger. He just couldn't paddle fast enough to get back in," Fauerbrunn said.

Neither boater was injured, he said.