Three men were hospitalized after they were rescued by firefighters after falling through thin ice into the water on Pistakee Lake in Johnsburg Thursday afternoon.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded around 3:14 p.m. Thursday to the area of Oak Park Lounge, 801 Oak Grove Road in Johnsburg, for a report of a water rescue.
McHenry Township Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Chris Kozel said it was reported to be a water rescue emergency on Pistakee Lake where multiple people had fallen through thin ice.
Firefighters arrived in six minutes and found three adult males in need of rescue.
The men were believed to be ice fishing when they went through the ice and became partially submerged, Kozel said.
The victims were clinging to the ice in several areas of the lake.
Kozel said the fire department quickly began rescue efforts by deploying firefighters in mustang suits, which are specialized ice rescue suits that protect them from the freezing water.
All three victims were safely rescued in under eight minutes, Kozel said.
Paramedics immediately began advanced life support care on shore and transported the three men to a local hospital where they were stabilized. No injuries to firefighters were reported.
The fire district said it reminds the public that recent temperatures have “significantly compromised” the ice on frozen ponds, lakes and rivers.
The public is urged to stay off the ice and avoid what appear to be frozen waterways at this time, the fire district said.