An off-duty firefighter and several anglers saved the lives of three men who fell into the Mississippi River on Friday near Dresbach, Minn., said Winona County Sheriff Dave Brand.

Rough waters likely tipped the men's boat shortly before 9:30 a.m. as they returned to shore below the lock and dam. None of the men were wearing life jackets, Brand said.

"I'm just glad we had another boat nearby," the sheriff said. "They were lucky (the fishermen) were there."

La Crescent, Minn., residents Ed Tlougan - a firefighter for the La Crescent Fire Department - and Don Schroeder were fishing nearby when they saw the three men in the water, hanging on to the boat. They sped over, and, with the aid of the two other fishermen who had arrived first, pulled the men to safety.

Brand did not know the three men's names, but said they were 82, 79 and 48 years old.

One of the elderly men went under water and resurfaced only because he was holding a life jacket in a plastic bag, Tlougan said.

Tlougan heard the emergency page go out while he was already helping to save the men. Two other people had called 911.

The fishermen and the three boaters were returning to shore when first responders arrived. The three men were wet, but unharmed.

"They just wanted out of the water," Tlougan said. "They were pretty cold."