Daring ice rescue at Lake Baron: 13-year-old falls through ice on his bike

A 13-year-old boy is lucky to be alive this afternoon after falling through the ice at Lake Baron on the South Shore.

The teen was riding his bike on top of the ice December 28 when his front tire fell through the thinning ice, then he and the rest of his bike followed.

A visitor, Ian Whitmarsh of Oakland, Calif., heard the young man's shouts for help and crawled out onto the ice to help rescue the unidentified boy.

Whitmarsh was joined by Lake Valley Fire personnel and El Dorado County Search and Rescue deputies Greg Almos and Damian Frisby. The teen was rescued and transported to Barton Memorial Hospital with severe hypothermia.

“We were very fortunate today, this situation could have easily been tragic,” said Lake Valley Fire Protection District’s Fire Marshal, Brad Zlendick. He wants to remind locals and visitors that there is no safe ice in the Tahoe Basin.

Deputy Sheriff Greg Almos reiterated that with warming temperatures the ice is a dangerous place for any activities.

"If an individual should fall through the ice they have only minutes before
hypothermia will take over and they would slip below the surface of the ice," said Almos. "At that time an individual in these circumstance would become disoriented and cold water drowning is imminent"

Although Lake Valley Fire and El Dorado County Search and Rescue carry surface
water and ice rescue equipment, the closest available dive team for El Dorado County is located in Placerville, Calif.

Use this as a warning to stay off the ice in the Lake Tahoe basin.