2 men dead after falling off boat at Millerton Lake, deputies say

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The bodies of two men have been recovered after their boat was found out of control at Millerton Lake Friday morning.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office says the boat was spotted driving in fast circles around 10 a.m. on the lake.

Dawn Irving was enjoying a quiet Friday morning on the deck of her Friant home when she heard the roar of a motor on a small boat.

When she pulled out her phone and began recording, she noticed the boat was driving itself in circles with no one inside.

Irving shared the exclusive footage with Action News.

As more and more Valley visitors head to Millerton Lake this Spring, water safety remains paramount.

The strange symphony of chirping birds and a churning boat startled at least one resident of Friant near Millerton Lake.

"I saw, right outside the deck, this boat doing, like, donuts in the water and I watched for a few seconds, and I knew something was wrong," said Dawn Irving, a retired nurse who witnessed the unusual sighting.

Irving's instincts were right. She quickly began recording the strange sight and immediately followed by calling 9-1-1 just after 10 A.M.

In the footage, Irving can be heard narrating what is unfolding before her eyes.

"Not too much you can do with this guy going around in circles. Maybe he'll just run out of gas, I hope.. I hope he's OK."

By 10:20 A.M., the first sounds of help can be heard on the ground.

"Somebody's coming. I hear sirens now," said Irving.

The sirens grew closer as the boat continued to spin.

First responders rushed to the scene.

A California State Parks information officer believed two people were thrown from the small Bass boat into the water, leaving the tiny vessel driver-less and spinning in circles in the Sky Harbor Channel.

By 10:29 A.M., additional help arrived by air.

Audio from first responders described the grim scene.

"There's two subjects that are undergoing compressions."

One minute later, both CAL FIRE and paramedics arrived on the scene.

Moments later, both victims believed to be in their 80s were pronounced dead as the phantom boat kept spinning.

"The worst part is the boat had to keep going around in circles until it ran out of gas and that seemed endless," said Irving.

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