Belleville firefighters rescue dog from icy lake

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A dog is recovering from a fall into an icy lake after being rescued by Belleville firefighters.

Bob Bagley tells the Belleville News-Democrat (http://bit.ly/1BJ4boI ) that Stoney, his 4-year-old English setter, escaped from his home early Wednesday afternoon. The owner says his dog crossed a nearby creek onto Stolberg Lake, and a neighbor called firefighters after seeing Stoney fall through the ice.

Belleville Fire Chief Tom Pour says firefighters arrived less than two minutes after receiving the call. He says the firefighters wore buoyant ice suits during the rescue.

Pour says firefighter Joe Laird had to smash the ice in front of him as he swam toward the dog. Another firefighter helped Laird bring Stoney back to shore, where he was dried off and returned to his owner.

The Belleville Fire Department says the rescue took about 10 minutes.

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Information from: Belleville News-Democrat, http://www.bnd.com