Anchorage Fire Department rescues person at Westchester Lagoon

Emergency responders rescued a person in the middle of Westchester Lagoon south of downtown Anchorage on Tuesday afternoon.

The Anchorage Fire Department received a report of a person in distress at the lagoon, a popular destination among outdoor recreators, families and bird-watchers.

The person, in chest-deep water, was not drowning at the time of the rescue but was “possibly hypothermic” and taken to the hospital afterward, AFD Capt. Joel Wagner said.

“I really don’t know why the individual was in the water, but he was cooperative when we got there,” Wagner said.

Rescuers performed a “surface rescue” using a small boat, Wagner said. They took out two boats with the AFD water rescue unit, using one for backup.

Cathy Grimes, who lives across from the lagoon, said she saw the boats bring a person back to shore. He stood up before they took off his wet shirt, then moved onto a gurney and was wrapped in a blanket, she said.

“He did not seem in distress,” Grimes said.

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