ASTORIA, Ore. -- A balcony collapse at a hotel just off the Oregon Coast caused six people to fall into water Thursday evening.

The deck at the Red Lion Hotel gave way at about 5:10 p.m. and dropped the people into a mooring basin off of the Columbia River.

The victims in the fall said the water came up to their chest, but there were no serious injuries in the fall. They said they headed out to the room's balcony to look at the view from the hotel when the wood snapped and sent them into the bay.

Cody Spicer said he reached the bottom of the bay and then popped back up out of the water.

"I started screaming for my dad and my dad was half-drowning in the water," said Spicer, who lives in Veneta. "I didn't know if I was going to have to jump in or not, but fortunately, a lady came by and was helping him up on the deck side of where we fell in the water."

Spicer said all of the other people who fell were able to climb out of the water onto a rocky area.

"Some of the guys that were in the room came down and started helping people out also," Spicer said. "I managed to climb up on the rocks and get out."

Astoria firefighters said no rescues were needed.

"When we arrived, the people that fell in had already self-rescued themselves," said Lenard Hansen, Astoria's fire chief. "There was only one room involved where the balcony had collapsed."

Spicer and his group had planned a crabbing trip off the Oregon Coast, but most of them spent Thursday evening simply trying to get their wallets and other personal items dry.

Astoria fire officials said the collapse appears to stem from a structural issue and is not weather related -- the Oregon Coast experienced strong wind Thursday evening. Authorities are still investigating.

The Red Lion Hotel is located on Industry Street in Astoria, which sits on the south side of the mouth of the Columbia River. The Pacific Ocean is about seven miles west of the city.

Hotel Deck Collapse Sends 6 Into Water