The volunteers of the Beech Grove Fire Department are being credited with rescuing members of a church group from Dallas that were kayaking on Dam B between Jasper and Woodville onTuesday afternoon as a severe thunderstorm moved through the area.
The firemen were dispatched to the lake shortly after 3:00 when emergency dispatchers received a frantic call for help from one of the boaters who said they had got caught in the storm.
One of the kayakers told KJAS News that when a thunderstorm began hitting the area, they tried to make it to shore, but became stuck in thick water plants. She said they were very scared because lightning was hitting all around them as they tried to make it to safety.
The firefighters used a small boat to pull the four kayaks through the water plants and then towed them to the Highway 190 Dam B Bridge.
Their kayaks and their occupants were loaded into a trailer and they were taken back to their launch site on the Tyler County side of the lake where it all began.
Deputies from the Jasper County Sheriff's Department reportedly also assisted in the rescue.
https://www.kjas.com/news/local_news/article_3e7b357c-3751-4da6-9cb6-446501ffb95c.html