BOSTON (WHDH) - It was a race against time for the emergency responders who rescued a semi-conscious woman from the freezing waters of Boston Harbor late Tuesday night.

Emergency crews raced to the scene just after 11 p.m. when a passerby noticed the woman struggling to stay above the water about 20 feet from shore, fire officials said.

Firefighters pulled the woman from the water near the JFK Presidential Library in Columbia Point and helped rush her to the hospital to be treated.

Witnesses and officials praised the emergency crews for working quickly to get the woman out of the water before she either went under or hypothermia set in.

“The water is cold,” Boston Fire Department spokesman Marc sander said, “The weather isn’t that warm yet, so (the firefighters) did a great job.”

RELATED: Officials warn of dangerously cold water despite summer-like temperatures

A Marine unit and dive team checked the area to see if there was anyone else in the water.

Police are investigating how the woman ended up in the harbor.

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