The Oak Ridge Fire Department rescued four people stranded on a boat Wednesday night on the Clinch River, authorities said.

There was an initial call of someone possibly missing Wednesday night, and the Oak Ridge Police Department called the Oak Ridge Fire Department to help locate the stranded occupants of the boat, authorities said.

The people in the boat were able to stay in touch with dispatchers using a cell phone. Someone in the boat had a flashlight, and they used it to help alert rescuers to their location. They told dispatchers they could see a bridge. Rescuers thought that must be either the Edgemoor Road or Solway bridge.

The boat’s occupants reported being in a cove near houses, said ORFD Firefighter and Engineer George Carroll. [Read more…]