MUKWONAGO, Wis. — Two Mukwonago firefighters rescued two men in their late 60s who fell through the ice at Rainbow Springs Lake, a remote area of Mukwonago, on Monday. The men, who were out ice fishing, had been in the water for nearly 2 hours before someone spotted them and called 911.
Firefighters Mike Ludwig and Scot Laab both were not working for the department when they heard the call for a water rescue. Ludwig was at home when he heard the call and Laab was at another department. They drove to the lake knowing they could help.
"They were holding on to the ice shelf when we got there," Ludwig said.
Watch: Two off-duty Mukwonago firefighters save two fishermen who fell through the ice
The firefighters immediately recognized the men were close to total organ shutdown.
"They were at the point where they weren't functioning," Ludwig said.
The rescue was complicated further when the ice the crew was trying to stand on kept collapsing into the water. Ludwig laid flat on the ice, grabbed the hands of one of the fishermen and held him up in the water until the team could secure him.
When Laabs attempted to get a sling around the second fisherman — while Ludwig held him — the sling snapped. The crew grabbed a rope instead.
"We took this and we wrapped it around him twice," Laabs said demonstrating how he wrapped the rope.
But that rope was very tight and had small holes to hook a hand into. With gloves on and barely enough grip on the rope, the crew knew time was running out. So Laabs said he put everything into it and pulled.
"It was sheer brute strength," Laabs said. "I wouldn't have given up. I would have kept going.”
"We would have gotten him out in one way shape or form," Ludwig said.
With Laabs pulling and two other crew members in the water pushing, both men were pulled out of the icy water and dragged across the frozen pond to waiting ambulances.
When asked how the two fishermen survived, the firefighters were at a loss for words.
"I don't know," Ludwig said.
"It was crazy," Laabs said.
"Honestly, I don't know," Ludwig said.
Mukwonago Fire says the two men were kept in the hospital overnight for observation but had no serious injuries.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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