3 found safe, uninjured after water mishap on Leesville Lake

It was a few minutes before 9 p.m. when Gretna Fire & Rescue received a call to 645 Waterside Terrace in Pittsville, in the northwestern portion of Pittsylvania County.

Information provided to dispatch indicated it was a water rescue on the lake.

“The initial report indicated that two kayakers were stranded along the bank, with a third boater reported missing and unaccounted for,” officials with the Gretna agency wrote in a news release.

After receiving the call, Gretna responded with a total of 17 personnel, including four rescue swimmers and a rescue boat, as well as fire engines and a transport.

When crews arrived, search teams quickly found two boaters stranded along the riverbank.

However, because of the “steep cliff terrain,” crews couldn’t get to them there. Instead, rescue boats were used to reach those two and bring them to Brights Boat Landing.

Rescues confirmed the third person was safe and already out of the water.

Gretna reported that the three suffered no injuries, but did not detail how the incident occurred.

"All three individuals were ultimately reunited at the Gretna Fire & Rescue building," the statement read.

Hurt Volunteer Fire Department, Blairs Fire & Rescue, Cool Branch Volunteer Fire Department and units from Bedford County also responded with boats and drones.

“What initially had the potential to become a complex water rescue operation was successfully managed through the coordinated efforts of multiple agencies,” Gretna officials wrote. “A huge thank-you to everyone who responded, operated the boats, worked the shoreline, assisted with locating the victims, and supported the incident from the command and staging areas.”