FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A man was rushed to the hospital Thursday night after drowning in a pond at the Fresno Regional Sports Park.
Fresno Fire crews responded around 8:15 p.m. to reports of a man in the water at the park.
When firefighters arrived, they met with witnesses and officers who directed them to the area where the man had gone underwater.
Crews say the man’s girlfriend saw him disappear beneath the surface of the water after the couple went to the pond to use a remote-controlled boat.
According to firefighters, the man entered the pond to swim despite reportedly not knowing how to swim.
The department’s water rescue team responded immediately, but because the man was fully submerged, additional dive teams were called in.
In total, eight divers assisted in the search.
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Divers were able to enter the water in less than five minutes after arriving on scene.
Due to the murky conditions at the bottom of the pond, crews had to conduct a grid search by hand.
After about 10 minutes of searching underwater, divers found the man at the bottom of the pond.
He was quickly taken out before being taken to Community Regional Medical Center.
His condition is still unknown.
Officials estimate the pond was between 10 and 12 feet deep in some areas.
The man may have been underwater for as long as 40 to 50 minutes by the time rescuers pulled him from the pond.
Investigators say this incident is unrelated to an earlier water search involving a man who reportedly jumped into a canal near Harvey and Blackstone.
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Fire officials are now urging people to use caution around waterways as temperatures rise across the Central Valley.