Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Rescuers from the Shawano Area Fire Department launch their boat Tuesday and head out to search for a distressed pontoon on Shawano Lake.
Two men fishing on Shawano Lake were rescued Tuesday after their pontoon sprang a leak and started sinking near the middle of the lake.
Crews from the Shawano Area Fire Department located the distressed boat and pulled the men to safety shortly after they called for help about 4 p.m.
Neither victim ended up in the water.
Howard Bartz, 76, and James Elmergreen, 66, both of Belle Plaine, said they had been fishing on the lake for two hours when their pontoon made a strange noise and started sinking.
“We kept going down,” Bartz said.
Elmergreen used a cellphone and dialed 911 when the two men realized that they could not get the pontoon moving enough to reach shore safely. Although they both had life jackets, Elmergreen said the situation left him a little shaken up.
“We didn’t know what was going to happen,” he said.
Fire Chief Shawn Borlace said the two men were fortunate to have a cellphone, because there were few other boaters on the lake available to offer assistance.
Borlace said his rescue crew was able to locate the distressed pontoon quickly and pull the vessel to shore. Neither man on board was injured.
“They were in good shape,” Borlace said. “They were in good spirits.”