A pair of bystanders pulled a 3-year-old boy from Lake Washington on Thursday and performed CPR until firefighters could arrive and take over before the child was transported to Children’s Hospital in Seattle.

According to Deputy Fire Chief Erik Wallgren, firefighters were dispatched to Coulon Park around 11 a.m. for a report of a drowning child near the Bristol Apartments, just to the south of park’s playground area.

Two residents, a woman walking her dog and a construction worker at the Southport Project on the lake’s south shore pulled the boy from the water and were performing CPR when the firefighters arrived and took over. King County Medic One arrived soon after and the boy was intubated and transported to the hospital.

According to Wallgren, the boy had a pulse when he left the park. According to a Facebook post by the Renton Police Department, the child was reportedly in serious condition but improving.

Wallgren said the woman was walking her dog when she saw a child flailing in the water and immediately took action.

“She dove in,” he said.

The woman was able to bring the boy to the shore, but unable to get him out due to the location, which features a seawall and a drop of about 3 feet to the water. Wallgren said it would be difficult for an adult to get out of the water there, let alone a child.

A construction worker from the nearby job site saw the woman and rushed over to help pull the by from the water, who was unconscious.

The citizens called 911 and immediately began CPR.

“It was perfect for a successful outcome, hopefully,” Wallgren said of the actions of the two citizens.

According to police, the child’s mother had taken her two children to the park and was momentarily distracted with helping her 1-year-old learn to walk. In that short amount of time, the 3-year-old wandered away through a gap in the fence and fell into the lake.

“This could have happened to any parent,” Renton police said in a Facebook post. “Be vigilant!”

Wallgren said when children are around water it is important to make sure they have lifejackets and for parents to always stay aware of the dangers involved.

“A child can walk off and fall in a lake in a matter of seconds,” he said.