'No longer safe': Around 200 people rescued from broken ice chunk in Minnesota

04:20

Over 100 Fishermen rescued from floating ice chunk

Over 100 fisherman have been safely rescued from Red Lake after the lake ice broke and them stranded over the freezing lake. FOX 9 Meteorologist Ian Leonard joins FOX Weather to discuss safety and dangers of ice fishing in the area.

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. – Around 200 fishermen became stranded when a large sheet of ice broke off in Minnesota’s Upper Red Lake on Monday.

Located about 40 miles from the Canadian border, Upper Red Lake covers about 120,000 square acres and is a popular spot for ice fishing.

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Nearly 200 people ventured onto the frozen lake to do some ice fishing on Monday. However, the day began to take a dramatic turn when a crack formed in the ice.

A frozen Upper Red Lake in Minnesota. Seen here is the gap between the frozen beach and ice chunk that broke off.

(Kelliher Fire and Rescue)

It then grew wider due to the weather conditions.

"The wind shifting opened it up even to the point where it was no longer safe," said Samantha Youngbauer, first responder and owner of North Woods Fish Houses.

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At around 11:30 a.m. CT, first responders received a call about a large chunk of ice completely breaking off from the beach and floating out into the 120,000-square-acre lake.

The distance of open water between the broken chunk of ice and the beach had grown to around 60 feet by the time first responders arrived.

When Youngbauer assessed the situation, she noted that the only thing that came to her mind was the safety of the stranded fishermen and taking them off the ice.

"That was my top priority – not only as a first responder but also as an outfitter," she said.  

Upper Red Lake is no stranger to seeing large numbers of fishermen. According to Youngbauer, the frozen lake has hosted around 20,000 people without experiencing distress.

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For the fishermen on Monday, however, Youngbauer stressed the role of the wind in causing the crack to grow and, later, having a chunk of the lake break off.

She also emphasized the importance of listening to experts around the lake.

First responders with Kelliher Fire and Rescue.

(Kelliher Fire and Rescue)

"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," she said.