Two kayakers stranded on a mid-river island in the Little Miami River were reported safe Aug. 23, after Clermont County fire crews launched a multi-unit water rescue near the Miamiville boat launch.

Central Joint Fire and EMS units were dispatched shortly after 8 a.m. on a "near drowning alert," according to the Clermont Guardian. Crews were initially told two people were stranded on an island and were not in the water.

When rescuers reached the pair, both were conscious, breathing and had no visible injuries.

Fire officials requested two rescue boats. One launched from Kelly Nature Preserve, a Clermont County Park District site just west of Miamiville off State Route 126, while a second was sent downstream. A district commander coordinated the response.

An officer on scene told dispatchers the island appeared to be the same one involved in a prior rescue. The Little Miami near Miamiville has seen other water emergencies. In July 2022, Miami Township Fire/EMS and Loveland-Symmes Fire Department boats responded to the same stretch for a canoe stuck on a rock; that family was brought to shore without injuries.

A boat crew located one of the stranded kayakers and motored them back to the Kelly Nature Preserve landing. The incident commander cleared the scene after both kayakers were accounted for. Boats were off the water within about 30 minutes of the initial alert.

A medical helicopter and ground ambulance were staged at a nearby landing zone as a precaution during the rescue.

Crews also asked dispatchers to notify the Ohio Department of Natural Resources about two kayaks, described over the radio as blue and orange, that had drifted downstream. Whether those kayaks have been recovered has not been confirmed.

@miamitwpfd: "Please wear your life vests when on the river."

Miami Township Fire/EMS posted that reminder on X in July 2022 after the earlier Miamiville rescue. No public statement from Central Joint Fire and EMS about Sunday's incident has been released.