Grapevine firefighter drowns in lake

An off duty firefighter drowned Saturday morning in Grapevine Lake, after taking the day off to spend time with family.

James McKenzie was on an anchored boat around 10 A.M. near Oak Grove Park, when he jumped in the water with his girlfriend to swim to shore. When she reached land and looked back for McKenzie, he was nowhere to be seen.

The Grapevine and Lewisville fire departments took part in the search. His body was pulled from the water two hours later. Many of the first responders who arrived, were colleagues who he would normally have been working with.

McKenzie was a diver, himself, who has rescued people from drowning in the past.  His parents say their faith in God is giving them strength to get through this difficult time. They describe their son as a strong believer with a deep faith in God, "It governed a lot of the decisions that he made because he wanted to be Christ to anyone who came in contact with him, so if he found a place to minister, he did all he could to make that happen," said his mother Ronda McKenzie.

McKenzie's parents say their son had just become a member of the Honor Guard, but they're most proud of his faith.