Missing LA Firefighter Identified After Long Beach Dive
Search for Missing Los Angeles Firefighter Turns too recovery Mission
Long Beach,CA – Hope dwindled Friday as the search for a missing Los Angeles firefighter,Connor Lees,29,transitioned into a recovery mission after nearly 20 hours of intensive efforts.
Lees,an LAFD firefighter,was free diving with three other men Wednesday evening off the coast of Long Beach when he disappeared.
“As search operations have continued over the last 19 hours, the survivability profile of the diver adn decreased visibility have made it difficult to sustain prolonged search operations,” the Long Beach Fire Department stated in an Instagram post.
The decision to shift from a rescue to a recovery operation was a difficult one, made in consultation with multiple agencies involved in the search.
“These factors, the Long Beach Fire Department said, along with the “extended time as the diver was last seen,” ultimately led to the decision,” the post explained.
The Long Beach Police department will now lead the recovery operation, with continued support from the Long Beach and Los Angeles fire departments.
“The decision to transition operations to recovery mission is not taken lightly,” the Long Beach Fire Department post said. “As we make this transition, our thoughts and prayers continue for the family of the missing diver and for our brothers and sisters at the los Angeles City Fire Department.”
The incident began Wednesday evening when four men departed from the Port of Long Beach for a free diving excursion. Free diving, a popular activity in Southern California, involves holding one’s breath for extended periods while diving and swimming without scuba gear.
Two of the men returned from their dive, but Lees did not. The remaining diver, presumed to be the boat operator, contacted emergency services at 9:55 p.m. Wednesday.
The Long Beach Fire Department responded with divers and marine assets at 10:17 p.m., initiating a multi-agency response that included the Los Angeles City Fire Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Los angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division, and Los Angeles Port Police.
Hope Fades as Search for missing LA Firefighter Turns too Recovery
Long Beach,CA – The search for missing Los Angeles firefighter Connor Lees,29,has turned into a recovery mission after nearly 20 hours of intensive efforts. Lees disappeared Wednesday evening while free diving with three other men off the coast of Long Beach.
Lees, an LAFD firefighter, was free diving with three other men Wednesday evening when he disappeared. Despite a massive multi-agency search effort, hope dwindled as time passed.
“As search operations have continued over the last 19 hours, the survivability profile of the diver and decreased visibility have made it difficult to sustain prolonged search operations,” the Long Beach Fire Department stated in an Instagram post.
The decision to shift from a rescue to a recovery operation was a difficult one, made in consultation with multiple agencies involved in the search.
“These factors,” the Long Beach Fire Department said, “along with the ‘extended time as the diver was last seen,’ ultimately led to the decision.”
The Long Beach Police department will now lead the recovery operation, with continued support from the Long Beach and Los Angeles fire departments.
“The decision to transition operations to a recovery mission is not taken lightly,” the Long Beach Fire Department post said. “As we make this transition, our thoughts and prayers continue for the family of the missing diver and for our brothers and sisters at the Los Angeles City Fire Department.”
The incident began Wednesday evening when four men departed from the Port of Long Beach for a free diving excursion. Two of the men returned from their dive, but Lees did not. The remaining diver, presumed to be the boat operator, contacted emergency services at 9:55 p.m. Wednesday.
The Long Beach Fire department responded with divers and marine assets at 10:17 p.m., initiating a multi-agency response that included the Los Angeles City Fire Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division, and Los Angeles Port Police.