Thee fire departments were involved in the rescue, the Brainerd Dispatch reported on Wednesday night. "Stay off the ice, that’s just a huge thing," said the Brainerd fire chief.

A couple of fishermen are safe after the ice they were standing on broke off and drifted across a lake north of Bemidji. The men were sinking in about 9 feet of water when emergency responders reached them.

The DNR says the walleye population has reached its second-lowest level since the agency started taking the measurements in 1983. Over the long-term, male walleye have been declining on Lake Mille Lacs. Northern pike numbers are also falling.

Two men are dead after their car rolled into Mille Lacs Lake just after midnight Sunday morning. A passenger in the backseat suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The Minnesota State Patrol says alcohol was detected in the driver and both passengers, but it's unclear if it was a factor in the crash.