Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Urges Caution of Thin Ice

Editor's note: The following Feb. 4 news release comes from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is urging people to use caution on all bodies of water due to thin ice and open water.  

In the past week, two vehicles have broken through the ice and have become submerged. These two, separate incidents took place in areas of Lake Minnetonka:

• Today, two men in a pick-up truck were driving on Smith’s Bay, , and both men escaped through the windows of the vehicle. The vehicle became submerged. The men made it to shore and no one was hurt. 

• On Jan. 29, a man and a juvenile in an SUV were driving on Haltstead Bay channel, broke through the ice, and both people escaped through the windows of the vehicle. The vehicle became submerged. Both people made it to shore and no one was hurt.

These recent incidents are a reminder that the ice thickness is variable due to the warm weather and freezing and thawing that has taken place over the past several weeks. On Lake Minnetonka, there are areas of open water and all channels are extremely dangerous.

Four inches of ice is the recommended minimum thickness for walking and small group activities on ice. No ice should ever be considered safe.

Parents and guardians are warned to keep children away from thin ice.

Remember to keep your dog on a leash this time of year. The Sheriff’s Office has responded to incidents involving pet owners who put themselves in jeopardy chasing after a dog that wandered onto the ice.

For more information about ice safety, the Minnesota DNR has tips online at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice.