BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS — First responders assisted attendees at a graduation celebration at Comanche Park after rain made the bridge over Salado Creek impassable on Friday. San Antonio Fire Department's Water Rescue Team and Bexar County Precinct 4 deputies helped roughly 50 people stranded by the rising water.
Ariella Lopez attended the celebration at Comanche Park with her husband and two small children. A park staffer directed her family toward a pavilion around 5:30 p.m. Salado Creek water levels were elevated when her family crossed the bridge.
"The water was already covering the bridge, but it was not moving. It was like a standstill. So, we were able to drive our vehicle over the bridge just fine," Lopez said. Later, young guests at the celebration noticed the bridge became completely covered by moving water.
Guests contacted emergency dispatchers, who connected them with constable deputies at the Navajo Civic Center. Deputies requested personnel equipped to handle water rescues. Bexar County Precinct 4 Constable Kathryn Brown said a deputy was present at the park during the incident. "Thank God we had someone on location," Brown said.
Firefighters initially used a truck's ladder to transport guests across the water before evacuating most guests using a boat. "Park staff should have never allowed anyone to go down there," Lopez said. Park officials closed pavilion reservations for the remainder of the weekend due to elevated water levels in Salado Creek. Bexar County Parks and Recreation officials are monitoring creeks and waterways in county venues and keeping law enforcement informed.