Two people were rescued from frigid Lake St. Clair Saturday evening after their snowmobile fell through the ice.
Chesterfield Township firefighters received a report around 8 p.m. that people were trapped on the ice about 300 yards from the shore off Goulette Pointe Drive, south of Brandenburg Park off Jefferson Avenue.
“The first reports we had were that both the people were out of the water and they were next to the snowmobile, but the problem was the ice had broken loose and there was open water between them and the shoreline,” Chesterfield Township Fire Chief Craig Miller said.
The department responded with its special operations truck and crew. They requested assistance from Ira Township, which launched an air boat from Brandenburg Park to join the crew.
“Two firefighters put on ice suits and they went onto the ice to go immediately make contact with those people and make sure they were safe,” Miller said.
Firefighters brought the two individuals to shore. One was transported to McLaren Macomb hospital for evaluation and the other was released.
“One of them had been immersed in the water and they were quite cold,” the chief said. “The second person was OK.”
The incident occurred during a winter storm that blanketed local communities with 3 to 6 inches of snow by Sunday morning. The snowfall followed a storm on Wednesday that dropped about 4 inches of snow in the area.
Miller said township firefighters undergo annual ice rescue training.
“With so many of our residents and visitors being involved with recreation on the water, all of our personnel are trained in ice rescue,” he said. “And then we also work very closely with our mutual aid partners and especially with St. Clair County. The special piece of equipment that they made available to us in an instant was very much appreciated.”
The chief noted the department is joining agencies from across the region on Monday to assist crews in Detroit following a water main break. Three township firefighters are doing house-to-house searches in a four block area that’s been flooded in about 4 feet of water, he said.
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