BAY CITY (WJRT) - (1/10/2018) - Warm temperatures on Wednesday caused problems with the ice on Saginaw Bay and created a tense night for anyone offshore.
At least three people were rescued in two separate incidents with help from Bay County first responders, the U.S. Coast Guard and private citizens. One person was still unaccounted for late Wednesday.
The first call came in around 6:20 p.m. for two brothers who became stranded while riding a four-wheeler on the ice. They were trying to cross a crack in the ice when they fell through, but were able to stay on the machine above water.
The Kawkawlin Township Fire Department rescued the brothers about two miles off the Fraser Township shoreline with help from private citizens who offered the use of their airboats.
Authorities said the pressure crack they hit was caused by two sheets of ice colliding with one another.
"As they were driving they hit a patch that was soft and went through," said Bay County Sheriff's Sgt. Don Duchene. "They actually went through the ice near the crack and were able to stay up on their machine so they didn't go under."
He said the brothers are "very lucky" to walk away from the incident virtually unscathed.
After the first rescue in Fraser Township, first responders and private citizens with airboats set up a staging area at the Linwood Beach Marina in Kawkawlin Township. They rescued a fisherman who had become disoriented in the fog while out on the ice.
Rescue workers also learned of a fourth man walking on foot on the ice who was unaccounted for. Nobody had heard from the man since 6 p.m. and his pickup truck was found on the ice at the end of Erickson Drive in Pinconning.
Police and firefighters called off the local search around 11:30 p.m., but the Coast Guard planned to continue looking for him into the early morning hours of Thursday.
Conditions on the ice Wednesday evening became foggy thanks to the warming temperatures. Rescue workers reported visibility was down to 50 feet or less in some places offshore.
To make matters worse, melting throughout the day on Wednesday created a layer of water on top of the ice that was four or five inches deep in some places, said Mark Pieniozek, a Charter captain who worked the rescue operation.
"We just try to do the best we can for the local citizens," he said. "The problem right now is our ice is in terrible shape."
Earlier Wednesday evening, the Coast Guard issued a warning about ice conditions becoming unstable due to warming temperatures on Wednesday. Highs neared 50 degrees and were forecast to rise overnight.
Ice conditions likely will get worse on Thursday with temperatures hovering in the 50s. Pieniozek said a strong south wind would continue to cause problems for anyone offshore.
"I'm going to suggest everyone please stay off the Bay (Thursday)," he said. "It's not safe and it's no place to be for a fish."