Fresno Leader

At 2:00 pm on Monday, deputies from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Dive Unit recovered the body of a young man from the bottom of the San Joaquin River in Firebaugh. He has been identified as Nixon Quinonez Guerra, 15, of San Jose.

Around 4:30 pm Sunday, a report was made of a possible drowning in the San Joaquin River near 11th and Q Streets in Firebaugh. Members of Firebaugh Police, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Madera County Sheriff’s Office, EMS, and Cal Fire responded and began searching the river.

Information gathered at the scene revealed that the person who vanished was a 15-year-old boy from San Jose visiting family in Firebaugh. He reportedly went to retrieve a ball that fell into the river. Once in the water, he never resurfaced. He did not know how to swim and was not wearing a life jacket.

First responders suspended their search Sunday night due to darkness but resumed Monday morning.

This marks the eighth drowning of 2024. Three have occurred in the San Joaquin River, one in Shaver Lake, one in Millerton Lake, two in ponds, and one in a canal.

The Sheriff’s Office encourages people to follow these safety measures around water:

1) Stay out of the water if you do not know how to swim.

2) Wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket that is fully secured and fits properly.

3) Parents should watch their children at all times.

4) Do not mix alcohol and swimming; alcohol causes swimmers to fatigue faster than normal and can create dangerous situations.

5) Understand that when it’s hot outside you will get tired faster than usual.

6) Respect the water; its temperature remains cold and currents are often stronger than they appear. There can be debris which may cause hazardous situations for swimmers.

7) Be cautious of mud on lake and river bottoms; it’s easy to sink or get feet stuck. Use your feet to feel for drop-off spots as bottoms can change dramatically from shallow to deep over short distances.