Two people are safe after a dramatic ice-rescue on Dog Lake, northeast of Kingston, Thursday night.
Frontenac OPP, South Frontenac Fire and Rescue, and Frontenac Paramedics were called to the Gilmour Point Beach area shortly after 7 p.m. on December 11th. Police say the two men had walked onto early-season ice to go fishing when they broke through and plunged into the freezing water.
They managed to pull themselves out but were stranded on the ice, yelling for help until a nearby resident heard them and called 911.
Fire crews — trained for ice and cold-water emergencies — repeatedly fell through the thin ice themselves while trying to reach the pair. The OPP’s Emergency Response Team deployed a drone, and two aircraft from CFB Trenton’s 424 Search and Rescue Squadron were dispatched to assist.
The drone eventually located the men about half a kilometre from shore. Firefighters reached them and brought them safely back to land. Both were taken to hospital as a precaution and later released.
Officials warn that early-season ice is dangerously unpredictable and can become life-threatening within minutes. They urge the public to avoid unnecessary risks that endanger both themselves and first responders.
