Team that recovers items that fall through lake ice sees increase in calls during warm winter

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — Our warm winter is creating dangerous conditions on our lakes, no matter how far north you go.

Many of the ice houses that were already set up are going down.

It's keeping a specialized team of Minnesotans busy.

Tri-State Diving in Detroit Lakes deep dive to bring back what's been lost or fallen through the ice. Gary Thompson and his team are folks that pull it back up.

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"Right now, I'm telling people if you have a fish house on the lake, get it off it's going to end up down," Thompson said.

The lack of ice triggered a new state-wide warning from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

"It'll take a while several consecutive days for the ice to form a new clear layer underneath and people need to wait and be patient for that," said Nicole Biagi, Department of Natural Resources, Ice Safety Coordinator.

It has caused some bizarre scenes across our 10,000 lakes: A plane sticking out of Upper Red Lake or an after-Christmas water skier in Maple Grove.

Thompson sighed heavily and said it's not a normal year.

During a normal winter, he says they do about one recovery a week.

"Since Christmas Eve, I've had 13 calls come in and recover," Thompson said.

Last week, his team went out to Crystal Lake where a 4-wheeler plunged in. In Little Cormorant Lake near Detroit Lakes, a fish house broke through the ice.

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"We put sleds on the wheels of the fish house and rolled it onto shore," Thompson said. "We pull it for 500 yards to get it out."

Ice conditions can also be dangerous for experts. Thompson said during a recovery Wednesday, his team could see the ice cracking around them.

The lack of ice is changing how many Minnesotans enjoy the winter outdoors.