An Illinois fire department has released video footage of a dramatic rescue after a man and his dog fell through the ice on a frozen lake, stranding the dog in freezing cold water.
According to the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department, firefighters responded to a call of a man who had fallen through thin ice on Legends Lake in Roscoe, Ill. this past Monday.
Upon arriving, they learned that the original incident involved a dog going through the ice near the centre of the lake. The dog’s owner attempted to use a kayak to reach the stranded animal himself, but fell through the ice himself and would also need to be rescued.
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Lt. Justin Mayton with the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department donned a “coldwater suit” and with a safety rope fastened to him, attempted to reach both man and animal before they succumbed to the cold.
“Mayton was then able to reach the dog and he and the dog were pulled back to the shore by the firefighters on the shore.”
Video posted by the department shows the tense rescue, as Lt. Mayton moved towards the flailing animal, body laying almost prone across the ice in an attempt to spread out his body weight.
Fortunately, neither dog, owner, nor firefighter required serious medical attention according to the department.