14 ice fishermen saved from Saginaw Bay ice floe by Thumb-area agencies

327149967_1086472266083572_6788350357904922548_n

Several agencies in Tuscola County responded Monday night to ice fishermen stranded on the Saginaw Bay.

Shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Monday, February 6, Tuscola and Huron Central Dispatches began receiving calls of ice fishermen on snowmobiles breaking through the ice about 3.5 miles offshore of Tuscola County’s Thomas Road Marina. According to Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson, sheriff deputies with both Tuscola and Huron counties responded, with the Huron/Tuscola rescue airboat being towed to the scene by the Caseville Fire Department.

With unverified information claiming that as many as 30 fishermen were stranded and another unaccounted for, Sheriff Hanson was later able to contact one of the stranded ice fishermen, who confirmed that at least one fisherman was missing but there were only maybe 15 people stranded in total.



With the airboat on the ice for about 35 minutes after the first call came in, rescue crews were able to locate and recover two men from the water, along with another man who had also fallen into the water but managed to pull himself out.

A helicopter flight crew from the U.S. Coast Guard arrived shortly after 8:00 p.m. and began flying other stranded fishermen off of ice to the Sebewaing Airport, hoisting a total of eight people from the ice floe before needing to refuel. A private airboat and crew also assisted the rescue airboat, bringing others back to the Thomas Road Marina, returning to shore slowly due to the boat breaking through the ice on numerous occasions, along with having to slow down to get in and out of many open patches of water.

A second Coast Guard helicopter equipped with a spotlight did a final sweep of the area, finding no more people left behind in the ice or water.

All rescued individuals were checked by waiting EMS crews, with the Tuscola County Advertiser reporting that one of the men required treatment at a hospital. With 14 men rescued, Sheriff Kelly Hanson anticipated that the southerly winds would hamper Tuesday’s equipment recovery, with the fishermen forced to leave equipment and snowmobiles behind on the ice. At least two men snowmobiles are lost, as the men who had been rescued from the water had allegedly tried to gun it across the ice but instead sank as the ice broke up.

With the wind picking up during rescue efforts on Monday night and increasing to gale force Tuesday, the sheriff believed that it’ll take at least a day to recover the equipment.

Via their Facebook, the Coast Guard reminded “everyone engaged in ice fishing and other recreational ice activities that ice is always unpredictable & dangerous. Check the weather, wear bright colors, and be aware of when sunset is.”

Other agencies and officials responding to Monday’s event were Unionville Fire, ACW Ambulance, Medstar Ambulance, Sebewaing Ambulance, Sebewaing Police, Michigan State Police, Tuscola County Dispatch Director Jon Ramirez and Tuscola County’s Emergency Management Director Steve Anderson.