Chicago firefighters rescued a man from Lake Michigan during severe storms late Friday.
The 20-year-old man was in the water near Pratt Boulevard, WBBM-TV reports. Crews, however, were hampered by the weather; the heavy rain and wind grounded the department's helicopter, and the rescue boat wasn't nearby.
“He was in trouble. He was yelling,” Capt. Michael Finnegan told the TV station. “He was drowning. We went in.”
With the man 400 feet from shore, four firefighters went into the lake. They tethered flotation devices to keep the man afloat before pulling him out of the water.
Two of the firefighters then made it to shore on their own, while the other two were picked up by the department's rescue boat. It also was the first day for one of the firefighters who was a part of the rescue.
"The waves were high. The water temperature, I believe, was 58 degrees,” Battalion Chief Frank Cambria told WBBM. “We were worried about hypothermia setting in. The victim was just about under water when Capt. Finnegan got to him.”
The man was taken to a local hospital and was treated for possible hypothermia.
