The Maine Warden Service says a man checking the thickness of ice on a wilderness lake plunged into the icy water and drowned
By means ofMILLINOCKET Associated Press
December 8, 2023, 5:23 PM
This photo from the Maine Warden Service shows broken ice on a lake in the Maine wilderness where a man plunged into the icy water and drowned on Friday, December 8, 2023 in T3 Indian Township Purchase, Maine. (Maine Warden Service via AP)
The Associated Press
A man checking the thickness of the ice on a lake in the Maine wilderness plunged into the icy water and drowned Friday, game wardens said.
Walter Demmons, 62, of Milford, was drilling holes with a friend to check ice thickness as he prepared to go fishing in Quakish Lake when they heard the ice cracking, wardens said. Both men ended up in the icy water about 210 feet (66 meters) from shore on the lake in T3 Indian Township Purchase, about eight miles (13 kilometers) southwest of Millinocket, wardens said.
The two ice fishermen communicated with each other as they tried to get back on the ice before Demmons told his friend he wouldn't make it and slid beneath the surface, guards said.
The friend, who eventually got back on the ice and called 911, was treated for hypothermia, while Demmons' body was recovered an hour later with an ice life raft brought to the scene by the Brownville Fire Department, wardens said.
Game rangers warned people to be especially vigilant about ice thickness, noting that early season ice conditions can be treacherous.