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Recent Ice Incidents Have Iowa DNR Issuing Warnings

State authorities are issuing warnings after a Vinton man’s body was pulled from the frigid waters of a pond near Shellsburg following a fall while ice fishing on Thursday and Warren County officials performed an ice rescue of three people Friday afternoon near Indianola. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wants to remind everyone that there is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice. Anyone traveling out onto a frozen lake or pond should be aware of ice conditions and depth of the ice. They should obey all posted signs and warning flags, and because the entire state has had a recent spate of unseasonably warm temperatures, it is just best to avoid going onto lakes and small ponds right now. Once conditions allow, they recommend guidelines of at least four inches of ice for fishing, five for snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles. Eight to 12 inches for a car or small pickup and at least 12 to 15 inches for a medium truck. New ice is typically stronger than old ice, any off coloring usually signals some sort of weakness and remember that an insulating layer of snow may slow down the freezing process. DNR officials also suggest that you never go out on the ice alone and that you should bring along ice picks, around 50 feet of rope and a throwable flotation device or seat cushion in the event a rescue is necessary.

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