UPPER RED LAKE, MINNESOTA — Just before 1700 hours (1657 hours), over 100 fishermen were rescued from the southwest area of the Upper Red Lake in Beltrami County on Friday afternoon, December 29, 2023, when they became stranded on an ice floe.

An ice floe is a large pack of floating ice often defined as a flat piece of at least 20 meters (65.7 feet) across as its widest point and up to more than 10 km (6.2 miles) across. (Source: Bing).

The Emergency Communications Center (911) received an emergency call that there were around 100 people stranded on an ice chunk with over 30 feet of open water separating them from the shore. The initial report indicated one person had fallen through the ice, prompting the urgency of dispatching first responders to the scene.

After first responders reached the scene, they were informed citizen bystanders had taken out a canoe to attempt a water rescue by canoe, which did not work well and four people fell into the open water. First responders who are highly skilled and trained for this type of water rescue, brought back the four victims to the ice floe to rewarm in a fishing shelter at 1840 hours. All uninjured fishermen including those on the ice floe rewarming themselves, were extricated at 1937 hours to the main shoreline.

No injuries were reported to fishermen or responders.

Incident Cooperators included the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, the EOC, Kelliher Fire & Rescue, Kelliher First Responders, Blackduck Ambulance, Bemidji Fire Department, Becker County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) Conservation Officers and area resorts. Additional mutual aid resources were requested but were quickly canceled.

Historical Rescues on Upper Red Lake

2023: According to local news media in the area, they state Upper Red Lake has been the area where several ice rescues this winter have occurred so far with one single rescue of 35 anglers on December 17th, a near-catastrophic plane landing on December 19th, and a rescue of three men on December 21st after their ATV and trailer broke through the ice. (Source: KARE11 TV) A person and Vehicle missing on the lake on May 18th. (local news)

(R) Photo Credit: MN DNR Enforcement

2022: Rescuers are dispatched to the Upper Red Lake for an ice rescue for an ice floe with 200 people on it, occurring on November 28th.

2021: A person and a vehicle were reported missing on Upper Red Lake on December 16th, while another rescue was on December 28th, where two fishermen on a side-by-side fell into the icy lake. They were found walking back on the shore by rescuers.

(c) 2023 NW Fire Blog