2 children hospitalized after falling through ice on Markgrafs Lake in Woodbury
WOODBURY, Minn. — Two children are in the hospital after falling through the ice on Markgrafs Lake in Woodbury Monday afternoon.
Emergency personnel responded to the lake around 4:30 p.m. after hearing a report of a child going through the ice, Woodbury public safety officials said.
A 12-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy were rescued from the lake and taken to the hospital, police said. The girl is doing "ok" and the boy is in critical condition, according to an update Tuesday.
The incident at Markgrafs Lake was one of two water emergencies in Woodbury on Monday, said Woodbury Fire Department Captain Michael Martin. First responders helped an adult man who had fallen through thin ice on another lake—the first rescue in 20 years for the department.
Retrieving the children was a three-hour long operation.
"These are not quick rescue incidents. We have a lot of quick equipment to pull together. We have a lot of units to bring into the scene. Getting in a cold water suit isn't even as fast as getting on firefighter bunker gear, so it takes a while for us to get that equipment together," Martin told WCCO. "Yesterday, we had to fight our way through some ice that just would not stay stable. The rescuers tried walking on the ice, and they consistently broke through it."
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in its guidelines states that ice should be at least four inches thick to ice fish or walk on and even thicker to drive an ATV or other vehicles. There are different ways to measure how deep the ice is, but the agency notes no ice is 100% safe.
Martin advises to stay off the ice until winter is further along because conditions vary. He stressed that if there is open water anywhere on the lake—even if other parts are frozen—it is unsafe.
"But the danger that can happen there is that a lake is not going to have consistent ice. It might have two inches in one area, six inches in another area, and open water in a third area," he said. "And that's exactly what we had happen yesterday."
If you do fall through the ice, experts say to turn horizontal and kick your legs rapidly, and if you are able to get on the ice again crawl on all fours to prevent falling through the ice again. If someone else with you falls through the ice, you shouldn't attempt a rescue; instead call for help.
The DNR has a list of safety gear here.