on-thin-ice-34-people-rescued-after-stranded-green-bay

On Thin Ice: 34 People Rescued After Being Stranded in Green Bay

Icy conditions have wreaked havoc across various parts of the country, leading to more than one harrowing rescue. An Albequerque ski resort, for example, recently saw 20 people get stuck on their tram at two in the morning when icy conditions caused a stall. The rescue efforts even involved a helicopter. In related news, at least 34 people needed rescuing this weekend after getting stranded on ice just off the shore of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office received a report of people stuck on the large chunk of ice Saturday morning. Within a few hours, their efforts led to the rescue of every person, and no serious injuries were reported.

The Sheriff’s Office Issues a Statement Warning People About the Dangerous Ice

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office posted about the situation following the rescue. “Happy to report a good ending to this extremely dangerous situation,” they wrote. They also shared what they thought to be the cause of the incident.

“It is believed a barge that had gone through the Bay shortly before the ice breakage may have contributed to the destabilization of the ice.”

According to the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, several other organizations came to help with the rescue efforts. These included New Franken Fire, the Coast Guard, Green Bay Fire, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

These officials urge everyone in the Green Bay area to avoid the ice for all recreational use due to these dangers. At the time, they also asked citizens to avoid the roadways nearby to allow for emergency vehicles in the area to travel more efficiently.

You can see one of the photos from the scene here:

Originally, the people on the ice were approximately a mile from the shore. By the end of the rescue, though, the ice had reportedly moved an additional 3/4s of a mile.

“Although the chunk of ice remained fairly stable, its condition was deteriorating rapidly (and) cracking up as it moved with the open water pounding at the edge of it,” Brown County stated.

Two People Describe Their Scary Experience

Shane Nelson and Robert Verhagen decided to go ice fishing for the very first time this weekend. The pair never expected things to go the way they did. They described how the day unfolded to Fox11:

“Didn’t catch any fish, ran out of propane early and got stranded on the ice,” said Nelson.

“It sounded like, almost, somebody fired a gun out there,” he added. “We thought it was interesting, got out of our shanty, took a look and people were yelling on the ice we’re separating.”

The two ended up stuck on the sheet for nearly two hours before rescue crews arrived. Thankfully, they made it back to land safe and sound.