Cape Girardeau firefighters advise caution with low river levels | News

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) - Cape Girardeau firefighters do not recommend anyone using the Red Star boat ramp due to low river levels.

Assistant Fire Chief Mark Hasheider with the Cape Girardeau Fire Department says there is a lot of sand exposed at the Red Star Fishing Access in the river in Cape.

He does not recommend anyone using this boat ramp due to such low water levels.

This makes it harder on the fire department in the case of emergency calls on the river.

Last week there was a call out on the river that a boater had run out of gas. Fire crews had to travel to Thebes, Ill. to launch their boat and go up river six miles back to Cape to help the boater. This adds a lot of time to their response if any incidents happen near the Red Star access on the river.

With levels this low, Hasheider says it is unsafe for anyone to try to get out on the river using the Red Star Fishing Access.

According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, the river gauge at Cape Girardeau was at 6.15 feet Monday and predicted to stay in that range for the next couple days.

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