DENMARK, Maine — Five people were required rescued Saturday evening after their "side-by-side" vehicle or UTV fell through the ice on Moose Pond in Oxford County, according to Denmark Fire Chief Chris Wentworth.
The department received a call around 5:30 p.m. on Friday about a report of several people stranded on the ice, prompting Denmark fire to call Bridgton Fire and Rescue for ice rescue personnel support.
When the crews arrived, they found five individuals, two adults and three children, on the ice who were hypothermic and unable to get off the ice by themselves, Wentworth said.
"[The vehicle] sank in about seven feet of water, so the five people [could] barley fit standing on top of the roof of the vehicle and they started yelling for help and it took, from what we could determine, somewhere around 10 to 15 minutes for the people in the house [nearby] to hear them calling," he said Sunday.
Rescue personnel used an ice-rescue sled to bring the individuals on the ice to shore. Officials said all five people were brought to shore less than 50 minutes after the initial 911 call, and they were brought to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Several agencies supported Denmark in the rescue, including wardens with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, who were at the scene and were helping in the investigation.
Wentworth advised Mainers to be prepared if they plan on venturing out onto ice this winter. He recommends carrying flotation devices and equipment to check the thickness of the ice.
"I would absolutely caution anyone taking any type of machine out onto the ice right now," Wentworth said. "In this area, there's constantly water flowing which makes it also difficult for the ice to form unless we have an exceptionally cold winter."