Woman saves 2 people from drowning at Thetis Lake

Firefighters are urging residents to be careful after two people were saved from drowning at Thetis Lake Park on southern Vancouver Island on Wednesday.

View Royal Fire Rescue Chief Paul Hurst says the fire department was called to the popular lake around 3:40 p.m. for a report of someone drowning.

When firefighters arrived, a woman was bringing two people onto shore.

PULLED OUT 'BY THE HAIR'

Hurst says that beachgoers heard "frantic screams" coming from the water, alerting them that someone was drowning.

"While some called 911, a female jumped on her paddle board and went out approximately 40 metres from the shore," Hurst said in a statement Wednesday.

By the time the woman got to the pair, they were both underwater. One person, a woman, quickly popped out of the lake and grabbed onto the paddleboard, while the good Samaritan reached into the water and grabbed a man, who was still submerged, "by the hair" and onto the paddleboard.

"The female who paddled out was selfless in her actions, didn’t hesitate, and saved two lives today," said Hurst. "If she had not intervened, this would have been a double drowning."

The fire chief says the man and the woman who were rescued did not know how to swim, and were floating on the lake on a recreational floatie when it flipped. Neither were wearing life jackets at the time.

Hurst says both victims are grateful for the paddleboarder's actions.

"This is the first water-related incident this year at Thetis, and I am hopeful it will be the last," said Hurst.

"That said, this is a reminder to those who can’t swim, or are recreating near water, wear a PFD (life jacket) or don’t go in the water if you can't swim."