CRYSTAL FALLS, MI-- Iron County officials are warning people to be extra careful on the ice on area lakes and rivers.
Sheriff Mark Valesano says Saturday around 2:30 p.m. two Wisconsin men ventured out onto Michigamme Lake/Peavey Backwaters in a Polaris Ranger side-by-side when they drove over thin ice near a tributary. The vehicle broke through the ice in about 25 feet of water. Both men were able to swim out of the water and make it to shore.
Valesano says ice should be five inches thick to hold the weight of a person and eight inches thick for snowmobiles and off-road vehicles. He says a mild winter and recent warm temperatures in the region have caused ice to deteriorate in places. Ice thicknesses can also vary on the same body of water due to currents and differing depths.
