An 8 year old boy drowned at a popular swimming area near the Live Oak day use area on the 4th of July in the Santa Ynez Valley. Just before 1:00 pm Wednesday, emergency crews were notified that the 8 year old who had been in the water had not been seen for about 20 minutes. The water was described as 15 to 20 feet deep with almost zero visibility. Santa Barbara County Fire Spokesman Mike Eliason tells the Information Station that with the help of civilians and 10 swimmers from Los Padres crews, they eventually located the boy. The child was removed from the water at 1:35 pm and rescue efforts were made to revive him. The child was pronounced dead at the scene.
The boy's name and where he was from was not released and the incident is still under investigation.