Three ice fishermen die in one week after falling through ice in Vermont
Misty Severi
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Authorities warned ice fishermen to stay off of a lake in Vermont on Monday after three fishermen slipped through the ice last week.
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department urged people not to walk on the ice at Lake Champlain, which borders Vermont and New York, while the area experiences warmer temperatures that are weakening the ice.
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“F&W is continuing to advise the public to stay off the ice on Lake Champlain while the current warm weather persists,” the department tweeted in a short thread. “Current conditions are likely more conducive to ice loss than ice gain. On inland waters where ice conditions may be better, we are continuing to ask anglers to be cautious and use good judgment, check the ice as they go, and leave vehicles on shore.”
https://twitter.com/VTFishWildlife/status/1625187260336422940
One man, 62-year-old Wayne Alexander, died after falling through Lake Champlain’s ice on Thursday, according to Vermont State Police. Two brothers met the same fate when they fell through the lake on Saturday.
Alexander was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital after he was found in the lake at 9:30 p.m. wearing a flotation device. John Fleury and Wayne Fleury died when their utility task vehicle broke through the ice.
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John Fleury, 71, was recovered by the South Hero Fire Department, which transported him to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. Wayne Fleury, 88, was found by a driver and was declared dead on the scene, according to state police.
Organizers have canceled the lake’s annual ice fishing derby at the urging of local police. Although the derby did not ban fishermen from fishing on the lake, it has warned them not to fish by themselves and discouraged using a motorized vehicle, according to ABC News.