Less than a half hour before sunset Saturday, a resident on Legionville Point Trail could hear a man yelling for help from the dark, icy waters of North Long Lake.
A man riding a four-wheeler went through the ice into deep water on the lake's Merrifield Bay side in the narrows between the bay and the big lake. The Brainerd Fire Department received the call for an ice rescue at 4:11 p.m.
The Legionville Point Trail resident who called 911 was also going out to offer assistance. The fire department noted some younger guys came upon the man in the water and were able to pull him out. As firefighters arrived on scene, the group was taking the stricken man into a house to warm him.
Brainerd Fire Capt. Kevin Tengwall said it's a reminder to think of safety and ice conditions after a warmer than normal December and the situation could have ended much more tragically.
