Near-Drowning in Cachuma Lake

A 25-year-old man almost drowned in Cachuma Lake Tuesday afternoon.

According to Captain David Sadecki with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, an emergency call came in at 2:44 p.m. Witnesses on-scene described hearing a man in the water calling for help. A nearby camper and UPS employee pulled him from the lake and revived him with CPR.

Firefighters, said Sadecki, soon arrived and stabilized the man. He was then transported by helicopter to La Cumbre Junior High School where an ambulance was waiting to take him to Cottage Hospital.

The cause of the incident is under investigation by the Sheriff’s Department, Sadecki said.