A man is dead after drowning at a campsite on Chehalis Lake, located off a remote forest service road outside of Harrison Mills in the Fraser Valley.
The incident occurred at the Skwellepil Creek 4x4-access-only campsite, roughly 30 kilometres up Chehalis Creek FSR.
Glacier Media was on the scene soon after the man was pulled from the lake at approximately 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 17.
Multiple witnesses reported that a child who was swimming in the lake was experiencing trouble around 20 feet from shore, and the man swam out to attempt to rescue them.
The man himself got into trouble and ended up sinking to the bottom of the lake, and another man swam out and ultimately brought the child to shore.
Nearby campers reacted quickly, teaming up to retrieve the man from the lake - about 15-20 feet below the surface - as another man visiting the campsite on a dirt bike called in an SOS using a handheld satellite communication device.
Family members gave the man chest compressions for about an hour before the first paramedics arrived on the scene via helicopter.
One BCEHS helicopter with four paramedics attended, as well as one ambulance with three paramedics, two search and rescue vehicles, and multiple RCMP vehicles.
The paramedics who arrived via helicopter were forced to land across a creek from the campsite and make their way through the water, and after attending to the man for a few minutes he was pronounced dead.
