Chief Mark Grimm said it took first responders about 25 minutes to rescue a woman and her child Tuesday afternoon after they had become stuck in Canonsburg Lake.
He said the water in the back part of the lake on the North Strabane side is shallow, and that the woman's kayak "bottomed out" there.
"It's really murky and muddy," Grimm said.
He said two firefighters were sent in to rescue the pair, using a kayak to pull the woman's safely to shore.
The names of the woman and her school-aged child were not immediately available Tuesday afternoon, but Grimm said neither were injured.
Peters Township Fire Departments also responded to the incident, a Washington County 911 supervisor confirmed.
