Upper Red Lake, Minnesota—A Beltrami County Sheriff received an urgent call from 911 around 11:30 am. The caller reported that they were in need of immediate assistance as they were floating on a big chunk of ice.
First responders rushed to Upper Red Lake and were surprised to discover that sixty yards of water were separating them from the people who called. It was reported that the trapped people were fishermen.
The 200 fishermen were hoping for peaceful and sunny weather to enjoy the famous fishing spot. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans that day. They did not expect for the ice floe to break loose and drift away.
Aside from local agencies in the scene, state and tribal agencies were there to help and provide immediate assistance to the fishermen. ATVs, boats, drones, a temporary bridge, and many more were quickly utilized to bring them safely back.
One of the anglers went on social media livestream as the group was being rescued. He admitted to not listening to locals around the area regarding the unpredictable weather. Even though the lake was visibly frozen, due to the winds, the ice broke loose and drifted about sixty yards away from shore.
State natural resource officials cautioned people planning on going to the area since the weather is unpredictable. The lake is no stranger to hundreds of fishermen even during bad weather, but officials warned them to practice safety and judge the conditions before they proceed with their activities.
“When people come up to come fishing, they really need to make sure that they’re listening to outfitters and resorts because we check the ice daily, if not multiple times a day,” shared Samantha Youngbauer, one of the first responders in the scene.
The County Sheriff’s Office also shared that this was not the first time they had to deal with this type of incident. They had to rescue 50 fishermen in 2014.
