Maine man dies while checking thickness of lake ice, wardens say

A man who was checking the thickness of the ice on a lake in the Maine desert crashed into the icy water and drowned Friday, park rangers said.

Walter Demmons, 62, of Milford, was drilling holes with a friend to check the thickness of the ice while preparing to fish on Quakish Lake when they heard the ice break, guards said. Both men ended up in the icy water, about 75 yards (66 meters) from the lake shore in T3 Indian Township Purchase, which is about 8 miles (13 kilometers) southwest of Millinocket, guards said.

The two ice fishermen were communicating with each other as they tried to get back on the ice before Demmons told his friend he wouldn’t make it and slipped below the surface, guards said.

The friend, who eventually returned to the ice and called 911, was treated for hypothermia, while Demmons’ body was recovered an hour later with an ice rescue raft brought to the scene by the Brownville Fire Department, police said. guards.

Rangers warned people to be especially aware of ice thickness, noting that early-season ice conditions can be treacherous.