Photo by Deb Gau Ice fishing houses and shelters could be seen spread out on Tyson Lake, south of Wood Lake, on Thursday afternoon. While there is ice on area lakes, the Minnesota DNR recommends checking the ice thickness for safety. Within the past week, vehicles have fallen through the ice on Wood Lake and Lake Shetek.

WOOD LAKE — A person in a vehicle went through the ice on Wood Lake on Christmas eve, the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office said. But while the person was able to get out of the lake safely, law enforcement are urging area residents to use caution, and remember that no ice is ever 100 percent safe.

The incident on Wood Lake was reported at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, the Sheriff’s Office said. A male driving a Can Am side by side fell through the ice in about 5 feet of water. The driver was able to get out of the lake, and return home to warm up and call the incident in.

The driver refused medical attention, and will be removing the side by side from the lake, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The incident on Wood Lake was the second time in the space of a week where vehicles have gone through lake ice in the area. On Dec. 21, three vehicles on Lake Shetek fell through the ice, said Murray County Sheriff Steve Telkamp. Telkamp said none of the vehicles were occupied when they fell through.

Lyon County Sheriff Eric Wallen said so far, there haven’t been any incidents of people or vehicles going through the ice on Lyon County lakes this winter. However, Wallen urged people to be careful. The ice on Lyon County lakes is just as dangerous as ice on other area lakes, he said.

A mix of factors, including weaker ice, could be helping to contribute to ice accidents this winter, said Joe Albert, communications coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Enforcement Division.

“It got cold early, so in a lot of places we had ice form a little earlier,” and maybe people were excited to get out on the lake, Albert said. However, while the ice formed earlier, it was later exposed to warmer temperatures and freeze-thaw cycles, which weaken the ice.

“The first thing people need to remember is the weather really affects the ice,” he said.

A minimum of 4 inches of new, clear ice is needed to support a person on foot, and five to seven inches for a snowmobile or an ATV, Albert said. However, he stressed that snow ice or ice that has been through a freeze-thaw cycle is weaker, and needs to be even thicker to safely support a person or a vehicle. In those situations, it takes eight inches of ice to support a person and 10 to 14 inches to support a snowmobile or ATV.

Before going out on a frozen lake, Albert said, it’s important to check the ice thickness. Don’t rely on reports from other people, he said. He recommended using a spud bar or ice chisel to make a hole in the ice, and measuring how thick the ice is.

“Some people can use an ice auger,” he said.

Albert said more information on ice safety is available online, at https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/thickness.html.