Ice boaters rescued from lake

BANTAM — Two people driving an ice boat on Bantam Lake fell through the frozen surface this afternoon and had to be rescued by firefighters, officials said.

The Bantam Fire Department was alerted around noon and quickly made its way to the lake, Chief Ryan Litwin said. The lake’s Bantam side borders Route 209 and North Shore Road.

Firefighters and rescue teams from Morris, Litchfield and Bethlehem as well as the Goshen Volunteer Fire Department’s dive team also responded, Litwin said.

“There was an ice boat that fell through with two people on board,” Litwin said. “One of them was out of the water, but the other person was in the water.”

Using an air boat (a flatbottomed boat that can be used on ice) from the Morris department, firefighters were able help the second person out of the water and to shore, Litwin said.

“Litchfield Volunteer Ambulance also responded to check on the two people, and everyone seems to be OK,” Litwin said.

At 3 p.m. he and other members of the department were returning to the Doyle Road firehouse.

“Both were being checked by the ambulance team,” he said of the boaters. “I’m not sure what the status was, but we got them out.”

Litwin was joined by Morris Fire Chief Robert Ebner at the scene.

“Everyone responded very quickly,” Litwin said.

The names of the two victims have not yet been released.

By January, Bantam Lake is often frozen solid and the ice can be more than a foot thick, Litwin said. This year, the lake has taken longer to freeze because of warmer weather. The recent colder temperatures have frozen the lake, but it’s not as solid as it appears. A few inches of ice is often not enough to hold an ice boat.

“People are anxious to get out there,” he said. “People have to be careful.”

Litwin said the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was also at the lake, doing its own investigation.

The DEEP has a website dedicated to ice safety; and cautions residents to practice a number of safety tips when ice fishing or boating. Any ice under 4 inches is unsafe, according to the DEEP.