BEMIDJI, Minn. — The Kelliher Fire and Rescue department rescued at least 11 people from a sheet of ice that had separated from the shore Tuesday on Upper Red Lake, according to the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities say they know of 11 people who were on the ice, but there are reports of "many others" being rescued off of floating sheets of ice by resort owners. The people stranded didn't call Beltrami County Sheriff's Office or 911 dispatch, so there is no record of the total number of people rescued.
Sheriff Ernie Beitel says those off-the-book rescues "circumvented the safe procedures put in place that keeps all first responders as safe as possible during these rescue operations."
The early November cold snap has resulted in lakes across Minnesota beginning to ice over earlier than usual. Reports that ice on Red Lake was safe enough to walk on had circulated on social media, but officials say the ice remains decidedly unsafe.
"Ice is never 100 percent safe and it is absolutely unsafe this early in the winter fishing season," said Beltrami County Sheriff Ernie Beitel in a press release.
Authorities have asked the Red Lake area resorts to not allow people on the ice. "Doing so risk’s the lives of our first responders, and in Beltrami County, like most Minnesota’s rural areas, our first responders are volunteers - they are our family, our friends, and our neighbors," writes Sheriff Beitel. "Please do not put their lives at risk."
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