ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (AP) — Search crews have recovered the body of a Colorado firefighter from Lake Martin in Alabama.
Alabama State Trooper Cpl. Jeremy Burkett says the body of 24-year-old Zachary Dakota Lewis was found Sunday night in Lake Martin.
Lewis was a firefighter for the Rattlesnake Fire Protection District, which serves northwest Elbert County in Colorado. He had started with the department in 2016 as a volunteer and earned a spot as an Instructor in the Training Division in August of 2020. He was hired as a full-time firefighter and EMT in December 2020.
Al.com reports that he was visiting the Alabama lake with friends.
Authorities say the search for Lewis began Thursday, when he was reported missing after a boating incident in which he disappeared beneath the water’s surface.
"The respect that rescue crews and law enforcement showed to their fellow firefighter was absolutely amazing," the Rattlesnake Fire Protection District wrote on Facebook. "Anyone who knew Zach knows he is one of a kind. Zach impacted everyone he would meet. He had a kind heart, and he treated everyone with respect."
A GoFundMe has been set up to support his family.