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Ice fisherman not hurt after going in water at East Loon Lake

A 60-year-old Gurnee man was not hurt after plunging into a lake while ice fishing in unincorporated Antioch Township, authorities said Friday.

Antioch Fire Department Chief John Nixon said a resident on the 40700 block of Champaign Drive on East Loon Lake, just north of Grass Lake Road, summoned rescue personnel at 1:47 p.m. Thursday after seeing the man in water up to his neck. Nixon said the man had been ice fishing.

Nixon said the fire department’s ice rescue division mobilized and made it to East Loon Lake about six minutes after receiving the emergency call. However, Nixon said, another Champaign Drive resident used a ladder from his garage to pull the fisherman to shore before airboats were launched for a rescue attempt.

Fire department rescuers evaluated the 60-year-old man, who didn’t require any medical treatment, Nixon said.

Nixon said the Gurnee man went fishing on ice that was only 2 inches thick. The fire chief said it’s best to have a lake ice thickness of 6 inches for winter fishing, with a minimum of 4 inches.

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