Three rescued off Marblehead coast

MARBLEHEAD – Three men were successfully retrieved from waters near the lighthouse Wednesday during a late night water rescue led by Fire Capt. Betsy Wilson.Capt. Mike Porter said a call came in at 10:33 p.m. for three men in the water, but with no location.”We have an inflatable, a Zodiac, we keep on a trailer out back for calls just like these,” he said.Porter said initially firefighters suited up in survival gear and headed to Riverhead Beach, across from Devereaux Beach.”It’s where we usually put in,” Porter said. “It’s a good central location.”But police headed to the lighthouse had already spotted the three men in the water.”No life jackets,” Porter said. “They were fishing in a canoe.”Firefighters then headed over to the Pleon Yacht Club where they launched the Zodiac and sped out toward the lighthouse. Porter said by the time the fire crew arrived, Engines 1 and 2 had lights set up and the men were easy to spot. Also by that time, Porter said harbormasters from several surrounding communities had the situation under control.The fishermen were taken back to the Pleon where ambulances were standing by. Porter said the men were treated for hypothermia, but he had no other news on their conditions.Porter said he was unsure where the men came from, but he didn’t believe they were locals.”There was a language barrier, so I’m really not sure,” he said.”(Wilson) did a fantastic job,” Porter added. “This was textbook. We train on this all the time, but it couldn’t have gone smoother.”