Toddler rescued from Spokane River in critical condition

OTIS ORCHARDS, Wash. -- A three-year-old boy was pulled from the Spokane River in Otis Orchards Sunday night and taken to the hospital in critical condition.

According to the Spokane Valley Fire Department, firefighters responded to E. Buckeye Avenue near Barker Road around 6:38 p.m. for a reported drowning.

The child was pulled from the river and bystanders were performing CPR until first responders arrived. Firefighters suspect the child had been in the water less than five minutes.

A Life Flight was called but canceled as firefighters determined an ambulance would be quicker to take the child to the hospital.

The child was driven to Sacred Heart escorted by police and last reported in critical condition.

Firefighters say the child was in a shallower area of the river but not wearing a life jacket or personal flotation device.

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