Children's Safety Zone

A 2-year-old boy was pulled from a north Phoenix pool after he was found floating at the top Saturday morning, authorities said.

The boy was found breathing but unconscious shortly before 10 a.m., according to Phoenix Fire Department Capt. Tony Mure. It was unclear how long he had been in the pool. He was transported to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for treatment, Mure said.

The incident happened near Thunderbird Road and Central Avenue in Phoenix.

Check back for updates.

Authorities have identified three men who were found dead after they disappeared while boating at a lake northeast of Phoenix.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office says the men were camping with family and friends when they left to go boating on the Verde River at 1 a.m. Sunday.

They have been identified as 32-year-old Francisco Antonio Cruz, 25-year-old Jose Alberto Castaneda, and 21-year-old Jose Luis Castaneda. Authorities say all were from Phoenix.

Authorities say the none of the men were wearing life jackets and it’s believed their boat tipped over and they couldn’t survive in the cold, murky water.

“We were swimming arms length apart and you know the difference between a rock and a victim” said Deputy Jeff Hanson who was the first diver to find a body.

The river waters are cold and murky. Visibility for divers was only a few inches.

Family members notified authorities after realizing later Sunday morning that the men hadn’t returned.

Rescue crews from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office looked for the men throughout Sunday before halting the search at darkness. The search resumed Monday morning and included six rescue divers.

The men’s bodies were found Monday in Horseshoe Lake. Deputies say the men did not have flotation devices and were wearing heavy clothing which would end up weighing them down. The bodies were found together in about 10 feet of water.

A north Phoenix family is counting their blessings Sunday after their 2-year-old boy nearly drowned.

It happened in the backyard pool at the family’s home near Central Avenue and Thunderbird Road on Saturday.

PatriciaWright says she was cleaning up around the pool when she took her eyesoff her young son Aiden for only a moment, looked back and he wasgone. She found him face down in the pool.

“It was the worst moment of my life,” Wright said.

Shequickly scooped Aiden out of the water and started CPR even though shehas no formal training. “I just knew I had to breathe for him,” sheexplained.

Wright says Aiden was breathing by the timeparamedics arrived, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. His bodytemperature had dropped to 96 degrees and doctors induced a coma forthe boys protection.

Just 24 hours later the boy seems good as new.

“We have been blessed,” said Gregg Wright, the boy’s father. “I don’t know what we would do without him.”

The Wright family says they will get a pool fence or another protective barrier immediately.

We’ve learned that a young boy who was found floating in a Glendale swimming pool did not survive.

Police say there were adults and other children around, but a babysitter and her boyfriend lost track of the child and when they found him, it was too late.

The 3-year-old boy was pronounced dead at a valley hospital Saturday night. Police say he was underwater for 30 seconds to two minutes before someone found him.

“Never at any point did any of us notice that that little boy went in.” Veronica Navarro called 9-1-1. “Emergency was telling me pick up his head and just try to give him CPR..try and pound on his chest.”

Sadly, the toddler didn’t make it.

There have been three incidents in Glendale in the past two weeks.

On May 2, an infant died after falling into a pool on West Claremont. On Wednesday, 15-year-old Jesse Prado was pulled out of a swimming pool by another student during physical education class. After two days in an intensive care unit, he died.

His brother was touched by a vigil in Jesse’s honor. Classmates lit one candle after another.

“His condition seemed to be improving, but then his heart just gave up.” said Luis Prado.

Three families wish they could turn back the clock, but doing their best to accept their loved ones are now gone.

“He’s in a better place now, we all loved him so much.” said Prado.

The fire department says it boils down to complacency, even with teenagers. They say to be on the lookout and watch over them.

All three incidents are still under investigation.

Pool construction always requires more than just digging a hole.

The process can require hours of research into local requirements and interpreting confusing language to make sure people are following the letter of the law.

The Queen Creek Town Council just made that process a little easier.

Coinciding with National Water Safety Month, the council last week approved a measure clarifying many requirements and moving its disparate regulations, including those governing pool fences, into one part of its building codes.

“Now you’ve got one place to look for all the requirements including fed law, state law, et cetera,” said Dean Wise, who oversees the town’s building safety division.

Wise said the net result saves time and money for both parties, allowing builders to complete their projects correctly on the first attempt.

“The more information that people have that is discernible, the better product you usually get,” Wise said.

It improves safety, said Rick Chafey, co-owner of Red Rock Pools & Spas.

“The benefit of having all this information now under one ordinance should definitely make it safer because we won’t overlook something,” he said.

Chafey said pool requirements for new home construction are often found in a municipality’s zoning ordinances while requirements for remodels are under the building section.

“It really doesn’t make sense for there to be a separate set of rules . . . especially when it comes to the safety requirements and safety issues with pools,” he said.

The move culminates more than a year of painstaking work by Wise, who said he had to pore over federal and state laws and canvass countless requirements in jurisdictions across the Valley and nation.

Chafey said interpretations and vagueness in municipal laws can be a challenge for builders.

“It seems every city we go to has a different set of rules and then when that city has complicated rules, it definitely makes it even worse when you’ve got to kind of read between the lines to figure out how they’re going to apply them,” he said.

Queen Creek said the ordinance passed by the Town Council will clarify some requirements to cut down on confusion.