A 25-year-old Oakland firefighter drowned early Thursday morning in San Diego.
The firefighter, who officials have not identified, died about 2 a.m. on the north side of the Pacific Pier, San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell told KTVU.
He was in town for the California Summer Firefighter Games.
After a night out, he and others went for a swim. Alcohol may have been involved, officials noted.
San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Rick Romero told the media: "We searched for a couple of hours with a rescue boat, land units, and a Coast Guard helicopter. We weren't able to locate him. We were doing our last patrol on the shoreline, and our lifeguard sergeant spotted him. He had washed onto the beach on the north side of the pier. Unfortunately, incidents happen. And it's just a sad story."
Stowell said that it was a "very difficult call" to make to Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington.
"All of our firefighters are part of our family," Stowell said. "It doesn't matter what agency they work for. I just wanted to give my condolences to him and my pledge to make sure that he knew we would treat his firefighter like one of our own down here."
