This early in the season, even as far north as Red Lake, the ice can be unstable and it has been proven to be dangerous once again.
The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office has said they have rescued a large group of people ice fishing on Upper Red Lake.
According to a Facebook post earlier Monday, the Sheriff’s Office says they were working with other first responders to get an estimated 100+ people fishing off a large ice chunk that has broken free on Upper Red Lake.
According to the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, at approximately 11:34am on Monday, November 28th, 2022 the office received a 911 call from individuals who were fishing on Upper Red Lake in northern Beltrami County. The callers indicated that a large chunk of ice broke free from the main shoreline stranding an estimated 100 individuals. The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office and other first responders arrived on scene and discovered a large portion of the ice with up to 30 yards of open water stranding the fishermen.
After assessing the extent of the open water with visual and drone operations, a narrow spot of the separation was found and a temporary bridge was deployed to evacuate the stranded fishermen.
Everyone who was stranded was accounted for just after 2:30 p.m. Monday.
Temps in Minnesota have been fairly mild, and while there is starting to be ice on lakes even close to the metro area, many are still unstable. The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office wanted to remind those who are thinking of heading on the ice that early season ice is very unpredictable. Extreme caution should be used when heading on the ice and to check the thickness frequently to ensure an adequate amount of ice.
This is a developing story. Stay with WCCO Radio and wccoradio.com for further updates.
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