A group of anglers rescue men who fell through ice in Prince Edward County

A group of anglers saved the day in Prince Edward County after rescuing two men who fell through the ice Sunday evening.

The men were fishing in North Big Island in Sophiasburg when they suddenly fell through the cracked ice.

Fortunately, a group of people also fishing nearby watched the men fall through and ran over to rescue them.

The group immediately called the Prince Edward County OPP and reported the incident and then continued their rescuing efforts.

The Prince Edward County Fire and Rescue showed up at the North Big Lake and Sprague road area, prepared to help, but when they arrived the two men were already walking to the shore with the group that had saved their lives.

The two individuals were shivering for a while but paramedics were on scene. Fire officials tell Global News that the two men are stable and aren’t suffering from any serious injuries.

The fire department also tells Global News that “pressure cracks” caused the two men to fall through the ice.

“The more the water freezes, the more it has to go somewhere, resulting in a crack. It could be a crack up or a crack down into the bay,” says Robert Rutter, deputy fire chief with Prince Edward County Fire & Rescue.

But Rutter doesn’t want people to get discouraged from ice fishing. Rescuers just want people to be cautious.

He says people should carry a cellphone when they go ice fishing so they will be able to provide their location coordinates in case of an emergency. Individuals should also tell their family or friends where and how long they plan to fish. Fire officials suggest carrying a flashlight for when it’s dark out and also recommend poking the ice with a stick before taking a step to make sure the ice is stable.

Rutter wants people to take advantage of everything that Prince Edward County has to offer, but would like people to be careful and assume that no ice is safe.