Madison Fire Department crews rescued a woman from the icy waters of Lake Monona Tuesday morning after she fell through the ice near the 800 block of Spaight Street. Another individual was saved after falling through the ice on Lake Mendota near Picnic Point the following night with the help of the UW-Madison Police Department and Madison Fire.
On Wednesday, UWPD dispatchers were alerted by a 911 call someone had fallen through the ice at approximately 10:50 p.m. The individual was spotted quickly, and UWPD illuminated the area while the department Drone Team watched over the individual being rescued and Madison Fire rescuers.
The individual was walking on the ice when they fell through and was in the water for about 20 minutes before being rescued, according to Madison Fire. Paramedics transported the individual to the hospital after the rescue. UWPD shared drone footage of the rescue.
During the Tuesday rescue, the Lake Rescue Team was called to the scene at approximately 7:43 a.m. Two Madison police officers arrived first and used a paddleboard to reach the woman, pulling her to shore before paramedics arrived.
The woman was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. While she was not injured, paramedics were concerned about her exposure to the cold.
The woman told paramedics she had been ice skating on her shoes across the frozen lake when she fell.
“There are buoys nearby which demarcate where ice is thinner due to warm water runoff from the MGE power plant nearby,” MFD Public Information Officer Cynthia Schuster said in an email statement to The Badger Herald Public. “I don’t believe the woman was inside the marked-off area when she fell through the ice.”
The woman was not equipped with personal flotation devices or tools for self-rescue, such as ice picks, according to Shuster.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Officials suggest looking for clear ice, which is generally stronger than ice with snow or bubbles on it, and avoiding narrow outlets or inlets, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
Representatives for the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon and the Wisconsin Union have not responded to comment on how the ice will affect the Winter Carnival and Lily’s Classic, an annual boot hockey ice tournament, this year.
