UPDATE: 4:00 pm 2/9/21

In an official release from the Duluth Fire Department, today's incident on Lake Superior off the shore of Duluth was detailed.

The release explains that 26 anglers were rescued from a sheet of ice that broke away from shore. The department responded to the water emergency call at 11:03 am, with the majority of the fishermen off shore from the area of Beacon Pointe near 21st Avenue East.

A few different units responded to the scene, bringing the anglers into shore a few at a time. A change in wind speed and direction forced the rescue team to adjust their rescue plan on the fly. Most of the anglers were rescued near Beacon Pointe, while one angler headed on the ice toward Park Point. This individual was rescued by the St. Louis County Rescue Squad, who also responded to the scene, along with members of the Coast Guard.

Within an hour of the initial emergency call, all 26 of the anglers were returned to the shore from the drifting ice sheet.

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While the anglers have been off the ice sheet for some time, as of 3 pm this afternoon, that ice sheet had pushed drastically off into the lake. At the time of the rescue, the crack had pushed to an estimated 100 feet or so, but that distance has grown exponentially since the speedy rescue from the local responding teams.

UPDATE 12:38 pm 2/9/21

The rescue efforts of the stranded anglers has been declared successful, as about 30 people were rescued from the sheet of ice Lake Superior that broke away from shore off Duluth.

KBJR 6 reports all of the stranded anglers were safely back ashore by 12:30 on Tuesday. While all people on the sheet of ice have been rescued, plans on how to rescue the fishing equipment on the ice are now underway, according to KBJR.

There were no reports of injuries to anyone involved.

We’ll have more on this story as it becomes available.

ORIGINAL POST: 12:05 pm 2/9/21

Anglers ice fishing on Lake Superior off the Duluth shoreline found themselves stranded Tuesday morning as the ice they were on broke away from shore and began to float away. Crews arrived to the Lake Superior shoreline just after 11 am Tuesday to begin rescue efforts.

Our news partners at WDIO report the Duluth Fire Department began rescuing anglers late Tuesday morning offshore from the Endion neighborhood of Duluth. One of the anglers told WDIO they heard some small pops followed by a loud crack. Some that were fishing were able to get off the ice, while others needed rescue.

As of the time of this post, the number of anglers on the ice is unknown, but WDIO reports more than a dozen people were spotted at one point.

Just after noon, a boat was seen in the widening crack in the ice, which appeared to be more than 50 feet wide as seen from the Duluth Rose Garden around noon. Photo below.

No injuries have been reported at this time.

We’ll have more on this story as information becomes available.

Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth
Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth
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