EVANS, N.Y. (WIVB) — One woman died as she was trying to rescue two girls from Lake Erie Thursday. Town of Evans Police have identified her as 51-year-old Mary Creighton of Buffalo. Creighton tried to help a 10-year-old girl and her 11-year-old daughter, but drowned. 
 
 When Lieutenant Bradley DiMartino got on the scene he saw someone’s head at least 100 yards out at Wendt Beach. He pulled the 11-year-old to safety and had some trouble due to the high waves. Officer Jeffrey DeVinney ran in and rescued both of them. 
 
 Town of Evans Police Chief Ernest Masullo said his officers acted heroically. 
 
 “My officers immediately started looking, running up and down the beach,” he said. “They did notice a young girl bobbing in the water and one of my lieutenants stripped his uniform, stripped his firearm, and ran into the water about a hundred yards out and grabbed the girl. He became in trouble and one of my other officers ran in and rescued both of them.” 
 
 Police said the 10-year-old girl was able to make her way to the shore on her own. 
 
 They also stressed that the waves made it difficult for everyone to get out. 
 
 “This type of wave action will literally pull you right out, you get an undertow,” said Nick Mecca, the North Evans Fire district chief . “I don’t know if those were the circumstances here, but you get large waves and it pulls people out into deeper water.” 
 
 Lake Erie’s waves were nearly five feet tall and winds were gusting up to 26.8 miles per hour during the time of the search, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 
 
 Police said this all started when people on the beach called 911 around 7:00 p.m. when they realized they couldn’t see the girls out in the water. 
 
 Several agencies responded to the call including Lake Erie Beach Volunteer Fire Department, Hamburg Water Rescue Unit, U.S. Coast Guard, and Air One from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. Conditions were so severe, officials said, a rescue boat capsized in the search. 
 
 Rescue Crews told News 4 the children were taken by ambulance to Women and Children’s Hospital. 
 
 County Executive Mark Poloncarz said swimming is not allowed at Wendt Beach so there were no life guards on duty. 

 DERBY, N.Y. (WKBW) - A mother is dead after drowning while trying to rescue her daughter and another girl in the waters off Wendt Beach in the Town of Evans. 
 
 Mary Creighton, 51, of Buffalo saw her 11-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old girl struggling in the water and went into Lake Erie to try to rescue both. 
 
 The 10-year-old girl made it out of the water before first responders arrived. When Evans Police Lt. Bradley DiMartino got to the beach, he saw Creighton in the water with her daughter and swam in to help. 
 
 Lt. DiMartino grabbed the 11-year-old girl and pulled her to safety. Officer Jeffery DeVinney helped bring her to shore. 
 
 Creighton was swept out by the current and high waves. At the time, Lake Erie was experiencing 5-foot to 6-foot waves. 
 
 Erie County Sheriff's Air One helicopter circled the beach, looking for the Creighton, while the U.S. Coast Guard and first responders on jetskis searched the water. Her body was found about an hour later. 
 
 "That's what this job is. You're here to protect life and these officers acted in the spur of he moment and risked their own lives. Every day they risk their lives and the officer is pretty upset they couldn't save the mother," Evans Police Chief Ernie Masullo said. 
 
 Both of the girls were conscious and alert when they were taken to Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo. They are expected to be okay. 
 
 Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says swimming is not allowed at Wendt Beach and that signs are posted saying so. 
 
 "It's just if the individual would follow the rules we'd be in a much better position than we are today. We wouldn't be holding this press conference. That's all I ask from individuals using county facilities, just follow the rules," Poloncarz said. 
 
 But 7 Eyewitness News was told by the North Evans District Fire Chief that lifeguards are stationed at the beach. 
 
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– A Buffalo mom tried to save her 11-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old friend after they ran into trouble in the rough waves of Lake Erie, but she ended up drowning herself, WIVB reports. Evans police received a distress call from Wendt Beach just before 7pm yesterday, reports the Buffalo News, and when they got there, they found out that Mary Creighton, 51, had gone in after the two girls. The 10-year-old made her way back to shore, but rescuers had to go in after Creighton and her daughter, who were about 100 yards from shore, the paper reports. A lieutenant swam out to where he saw a head bobbing, which turned out to be Creighton's daughter. He had trouble navigating the turbulent waters himself, and another officer had to come rescue him and the girl; Creighton's body was found about an hour later, reports WKBW. Lake Erie was experiencing rough weather yesterday, with 5- to 6-foot waves and winds of more than 26mph, NOAA reports, per WIVB. "This type of wave action will literally pull you right out, you get an undertow," a local fire chief tells the station. (A Florida mom called 911 about two drowning toddlers—without realizing at first that they were hers.)