The Cary Fire Protection District presented multiple awards to those who helped save two people who had fallen through the ice on Lake Killarney in January.

An adult and a teenager fell through the ice while attempting to ice fish near the East Beach area on Jan. 13. As a result of quick actions by civilians, off-duty firefighters and first responders, the two people were rescued within eight minutes, according to a previous news release.

The Cary Fire Protection District recently presented the Miltion A. Neeley Lifesaving Award to firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians Ben Delatorre, Cody Delatorre and Kyler Ochab. The award is described as one of the fire district’s “highest honors and is reserved for members whose actions directly result in the saving of a life under particularly dangerous conditions,” Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said in a news release.

The off-duty firefighters were first on the scene and immediately began rescue efforts. They were able to get the teenager out of the water, who was 50 to 75 feet from the shore, Vucha said in a previous news release. Ochab arrived with additional crews. Wearing a Mustang survival suit, he entered the freezing water and rescued the second person.

“Their coordinated actions and willingness to place themselves in harm’s way were instrumental in saving lives and bringing the incident to a successful outcome,” Vucha said in the release.

Lake Killarney resident Steven Willis was awarded the Community Service Award for his courageous attempts to rescue the two people before first responders arrived. He first discovered the two victims after hearing yelling from the lake. Willis also fell through the ice but was able to self-rescue, Vucha said in a previous news release.

“His willingness to act in an emergency and provide support played an important role in the overall rescue effort,” Vucha said.

The Cary Fire Protection District Unit Citation was awarded to NERCOM telecommunicators Penelope Wegner, Bridgette Veronese, Tracy McNamara and Grant Havens, along with Lt. Steve Nelson and Lt. Peter Penkava.

They were recognized for their “critical roles in coordinating, supervising and supporting the incident, ensuring that resources were dispatched quickly and that the rescue operation was carried out safely and effectively,” Vucha said.