Beltrami County is prohibiting vehicle access to the section of Upper Red Lake in its jurisdiction, following multiple rescues of people who fell through unstable ice or were stranded on drifting ice chunks.
Beltrami County restricts Upper Red Lake access after people found themselves stranded on the ice
Two ice fishermen were rescued Friday in Sherburne County after falling into a lake thinly covered with ice.
December 31, 2023 at 1:51AM
The order, which includes snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles, took effect at sunset Saturday, according to a statement from Beltrami County Sheriff Jason Riggs.
"Area lakes have very inconsistent ice conditions and extreme caution should be employed if you choose to venture on area lakes," Riggs said.
The announcement followed Friday's rescue of around 120 people who were stranded on an ice chunk on Upper Red Lake that was separated from shore by 30 feet of open water. Four canoeists fell into the lake trying to rescue the stranded group, and emergency responders evacuated them as well.
Sherburne County officials reported a rescue Friday night of two brothers, ages 63 and 59, who had fallen into Ann Lake. The ice fishermen pushed a flat-bottom boat about 70 yards into the lake, where it broke through the ice, but later fell into the lake when trying to shimmy the boat back onto the icy surface.
“This was certainly not an outcome that we were hoping would materialize, and we know that today’s path forward does not provide a perfect solution,” interim OCM director Charlene Briner said Wednesday.
