Extreme heat warning in effect through Sunday

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

More than 200 anglers and others on Upper Red Lake were rescued Monday after the ice they were on broke free, leaving them unable to get back to shore.

 call at about 11:30 a.m. asking for help to get people off a “large ice chunk” on Upper Red Lake. First responders found up to 30 yards of open water separated them from the anglers needing rescue.

Authorities initially said more than 100 people needed to be evacuated. In a post just before 4 p.m., however, the sheriff’s office estimated the number at 200. 

Several state, local, county and tribal agencies helped in the rescue that included air boats, ATVs, drones and a temporary bridge, 

, adding that “extreme caution should be used when heading on the ice.”

Ice thickness and wind can be difficult to judge in November. In mid-December 2014, 

State natural resources officials caution that ice conditions this time of year can be unpredictable.

Minnesota News

Instagram

MPR News Staff

Author

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that more than 200 anglers were on a large ice chunk that broke free on the northern Minnesota lake. The office later confirmed the stranded anglers had been evacuated off the ice.

Courtesy photo

a small vehicle sits on the ice with a person standing next to it

200 rescued off Upper Red Lake after ice breaks free

Go Deeper.

Like this?