Crews responded to a report about a kayaker that went missing in Carter Lake around 5 p.m. Thursday.
They had not found the man by 8 p.m., and their efforts had switched from rescue to recovery.
“We’ll keep searching as long as we can, but we do switch from rescue operation to recovery operation,” said Berthoud Fire Division Chief Andrew Kuiken, adding that the first hour of a rescue is the most critical.
A person recreating at the lake called for help after seeing “a man in the water who appeared to be in distress,” according to a release from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. The man was near a kayak and not wearing a personal flotation device.
An off-duty Loveland Fire Rescue Authority firefighter, who was in the area, began searching for the man and was soon joined by Larimer County rangers, the Berthoud Fire Protection District, Loveland Fire Rescue Authority and Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. The team located the kayak but not the man, according to the release.
Storms from earlier in the day had mostly cleared when crews were on scene. Kuiken was not able to say what caused the incident or if it was weather-related.
Firefighters and sheriff’s deputies spoke to witnesses around the area who saw the man in the water, he added.
The 911 call came in at 5:09 p.m., and the first crew, Larimer County rangers, arrived at the south end of the lake within 12 minutes, according to Larimer County Public Information Officer Kate Kimble.
Berthoud fire took the lead in the initial rescue response. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office took over the recovery around 7 p.m., Kuiken said, but added that crews from each department would continue to assist.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Marine recovery team was joining the effort Thursday night with the search continuing as resources and conditions allowed.
