Deaths of 3 fishermen who plunged through ice cancel fishing derby, Vermont police say
Three fishermen died after falling through an ice-covered lake in Vermont, state police said. Following the deaths, which stemmed from two separate incidents, an ice-fishing tournament on the lake was canceled.
The first incident occurred when Wayne Alexander, 62, drove to Lake Champlain to go ice fishing on Feb. 9, according to a news release from Vermont State Police.
When he didn’t return that evening, a family member went to search for him and found his truck parked near the frozen lake, police said.
Several hours later, a rescue crew found Alexander in the water and transported him to a hospital in Burlington, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Two days later, on Feb. 11, two brothers — John Fleury, 71, and Wayne Fleury, 88 — were driving a utility vehicle on the frozen lake when it plunged through the ice, according to a separate news release from state police.
John was pulled out of the water by first responders and transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A diver later located Wayne still inside the submerged vehicle and he was pronounced dead, police said.
A spokesperson for the Vermont State Police told McClatchy News that there were no additional updates regarding the incident on Feb. 13.
The Fleury brothers “died doing what they loved,” a family member wrote on Facebook. “They Grew up in a time where Hunting and Fishing was a way to eat and sometimes probably the only way. It’s what they knew and as Brothers have spent many days together doing what they loved together.”
Following the incidents, the Island Ice Fishing Derby, a long-running tournament that was scheduled to take place on Lake Champlain from Feb. 11 to 12, was canceled due to ice conditions, according to a Facebook post.
“All ice anglers are asked to get off the ice,” the post read in part. “Tickets will be refunded.”
The area has experienced a mild winter, resulting in thinner ice, according to the National Weather Service in Burlington.
“Due to well above normal temperatures that the region has experienced over the past 2 months, ice thickness on area lakes and ponds is highly variable,” the weather service wrote in a Feb. 11 Facebook post.
Lake Champlain, located in northern Vermont, has a maximum depth of nearly 400 feet and is one of the largest lakes in North America, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation.
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