Man rescued after refusing to get out of freezing lake



SEATAC -- A man was rescued from Bow Lake in SeaTac, after getting extremely hypothermic and refusing to get out of the water.

According to the SeaTac Fire Department, hotel guests first reported the man in the lake, near International Boulevard, just before 10 p.m. Monday night. Officers found the man approximately 20 feet from the shore, and spent nearly a half-hour trying to persuade him to get out of the water.

When he refused, specially-trained water rescue firefighters had to put on their dry suits, wade out and bring him to shore. The man was evaluated by paramedics and found to be extremely hypothermic, with a very low body temperature. He was treated at the scene and then transported to a hospital.

Police say they aren't sure why he was in the lake, and that he wasn't a suspect or being chased.