A fire chief is calling for help after a pair of Florida firefighters went missing on a fishing trip and could now be as far north as South Carolina, according to WTLV.
Brian McCluney, a firefighter with Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, and Justin Walker, a firefighter from Fairfax, Virginia, were on a fishing trip near Port Canaveral in Florida when they disappeared Friday.
On Wednesday, five days after the pair went missing, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the U.S. Coast Guard said they plan to continue searching Thursday.
“We’re in some critical times right now,” Interim Director and Fire Chief Keith Powers said, according to WTLV. “Time has really become our enemy.”
The search has extended all the way up to South Carolina, but it may not continue on for long.
A representative with the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday afternoon that, if the men are not found by sundown, the search will be suspended, WFLA reports.
Brian McCluney & Justin Walker went fishing Friday and haven’t been seen since. Thousands of square miles have been searched with hundreds of volunteers joining in. @KaileyTracy and I are in GA and SC w/ today’s search efforts. @FCN2go #BringThemHome pic.twitter.com/bvuP7qUOoi
— Robert Bradfield (@RobertBReports) August 22, 2019
Three businesses in Florida are helping the search effort by offering up a reward adding up to $30,000 for whoever finds the two men.
The three businesses — Palm Beach Valley Outdoor Bar & Grill in Ponte Vedra Beach, International Marine in Boynton Beach and 1-800-BOARDUP in Jacksonville Beach — have each added $10,000 to the reward.
Anyone interested in volunteering to help search for the missing men on Thursday is asked to call Chief Barrow at (904) 813-5315.
#UPDATE 17: @USCG crews will be searching through the night for the overdue @PortCanaveral boaters. The search has covered 90,306 sq miles with an est 249 hrs of active searches. Image shows today’s searches. pic.twitter.com/Ep5LCnRVwu
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) August 22, 2019
#UPDATE 16: @USCG and partner agency crews continue to search for the overdue @PortCanaveral boaters. A #USCG HC-130 search plane, 2 Coast Guard cutters and 3 @CBP aircraft are actively searching. Crews have searched 90,286 sq. miles since Friday. #HappeningNow pic.twitter.com/qRtCHurOPO
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) August 21, 2019
#UPDATE 14: @USCG aircrews from Air Station Clearwater and Elizabeth City conducted multiple search patterns yesterday alongside Navy P-8 planes and CBP C-130 aircrafts. #USCG and partner surface and air assets will continue to search throughout the day. #HappeningNow pic.twitter.com/4KZtIcxHcy
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) August 20, 2019
