By Bill Galluccio
Feb 5, 2021
A group of 66 ice fishers ended up trapped in the middle of Lake Michigan when three ice floes broke away on Thursday (February 4) morning. The Door County Sheriff s Office said that floes floated away from the shore due to pressure cracks that had opened between their location and the shoreline.
High winds from an incoming winter storm helped push the ice floes further away from the shore.
With the bad weather bearing down on the area, rescuers from multiple agencies had to work against to clock to bring the fisherman to safety. The U.S. Coast Guard sent two ice rescue teams and used helicopters and airboats to reach the ice floes.
Coast Guard rescue swimmers help 66 people stranded on ice floe in Lake Michigan
Updated Feb 05, 2021;
Posted Feb 05, 2021
The U.S. Coast Guard worked along side other agencies to rescue 66 people stranded on ice floes in a bay in northeastern Wisconsin on Thursday, Feb. 4. (Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard)
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STURGEON BAY, WI Members of the U.S. Coast Guard and several other agencies saved 66 people who were stranded on ice floes on Lake Michigan Thursday. The people were trapped after three separate floes broke away from the shore when cracks formed in the ice between the fishermen and the shore.
By Bill Galluccio
Feb 5, 2021
A group of 66 ice fishers ended up trapped in the middle of Lake Michigan when three ice floes broke away on Thursday (February 4) morning. The Door County Sheriff s Office said that floes floated away from the shore due to pressure cracks that had opened between their location and the shoreline.
High winds from an incoming winter storm helped push the ice floes further away from the shore.
With the bad weather bearing down on the area, rescuers from multiple agencies had to work against to clock to bring the fisherman to safety. The U.S. Coast Guard sent two ice rescue teams and used helicopters and airboats to reach the ice floes.
Ice boats and helicopters were called in for the rescue Thursday in Door County
Fishermen became trapped when ice broke free and drifted into Lake Michigan
The Coast Guard and multiple agencies rescued a total of 66 people
Ice fishing is a time-honored winter sport in the Great Lakes region
But officials warn to be mindful of dangers and equipped for an emergency
By Bill Galluccio
Feb 5, 2021
A group of 66 ice fishers ended up trapped in the middle of Lake Michigan when three ice floes broke away on Thursday (February 4) morning. The Door County Sheriff s Office said that floes floated away from the shore due to pressure cracks that had opened between their location and the shoreline.
High winds from an incoming winter storm helped push the ice floes further away from the shore.
With the bad weather bearing down on the area, rescuers from multiple agencies had to work against to clock to bring the fisherman to safety. The U.S. Coast Guard sent two ice rescue teams and used helicopters and airboats to reach the ice floes.