GUN BARREL CITY, Texas (KETK) – The Gun Barrel City Fire Department said a man was saved from nearly drowning in Cedar Creek Lake around 8:16 p.m. on Friday.

According to the fire department, two people were visiting the lake when one went kayaking with out a life jacket and fell into the lake. A family member went out into the lake and was able to get them to shore but the family member then drifted out into the lake and became fatigued, officials said.

That family member was holding onto the kayak because they didn’t have a life jacket but they eventually were too fatigued to hold onto it and so a neighbor who heard them call for help went out with a life jacket on in a second kayak, according to the fire department.

The man in the water was able to hold onto the second kayak until the Gun Barrel City Rescue Boat arrived 18 minutes after the Gun Barrel City Police Department was called. The fire department said they directed the boat to the kayak and they were able to get the man aboard. He was taken back to the Tom Finley Park boat ramp and then transported to a local hospital by UT Health EMS.

“I am very pleased with how well the water rescue of a near drowning victim went last night. The quick actions by the Gun Barrel City First Responders and the neighbor who risked his life to save a victim in the water, resulted in a positive outcome,” Gun Barrel City Fire Chief Joseph Lindaman said “This is our second rescue with our new boat in less than a month. This incident underscores the importance of wearing a life jacket when you are near or on the water and not kayaking after dark.”