University of Wisconsin Police and the Madison Fire Department rescued two UW students from Lake Mendota near Picnic Point Saturday night after students near the Lakeshore dorms heard cries for help.
The two students were fishing when their canoe overturned. One of the students estimated that they were in the water for two hours. The water temperature was approximately 55 degrees and the air temperature was 44 degrees, according to the Madison Fire Department.
Students who heard cries for help called 911 around 10 p.m. after they could not determine the specific location of the voices. The students were located by emergency services within 20 minutes after rescue officials were dispatched.
The Madison Fire Department Lake Rescue Team and UWPD responded and established observation points at the end of Picnic Point, the base of picnic point, the pier at the end of Walnut Street, Willows Beach, and the UW Boat House. Also MFD engine and ladder crews used their searchlights and thermal imaging cameras to attempt to spot people in the water.
The MFD rescue motorboat found the students and took them to Willow Beach, bundling them in blankets and transporting them to the UW Hospital. The students’ medical conditions were not known at press time.
