A man was rescued Sunday after being trapped on shifting ice on the Straits of Mackinac, as seen by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw. (Photo courtesy of the Mackinac Island Fire Department)

MACKINAC ISLAND – A man stranded on ice about a mile off Mackinac Island’s west shore was rescued Sunday evening in a multi-agency operation.

Mackinac Island Fire Department (MIFD) Chief Jason St. Onge was alerted at 4:40 p.m. Sunday that a man was lost on the ice in the Straits of Mackinac. The chief immediately struck an alarm for fire and EMS crews, and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) was notified.

Using a location ping, responders determined the man’s approximate position. Conditions were described as “worse than a whiteout” in a news release, with waist-deep drifting snow and jagged ice.

According to a news release, the stranded man was told to stay where he was and rescuers were on their way through a translator over the phone.

The release also noted, “The man had previously been advised by Deputy Chief Rickley to not go out on the ice.”

MIFD Members Bartholomew Theron Berkshire, Colton Fisher, Adrian Skazalski, Chuck Pereny, Corey Kaminen and St. Onge were equipped with rescue gear and headed out onto the ice.

Close coordination among shore-based firefighters, Central Dispatch and County Emergency Manager Bryce Tracy allowed crews to track firefighters as they disappeared into the whiteout.

During the response, the man attempted to move toward rescuers using GPS guidance but soon encountered open water and was unable to continue.

Initially, the USCG indicated it could not reach the man or deploy personnel onto the ice. Moments later, however, the crew of the USCG Cutter Mackinaw reported visual contact and initiated a rescue attempt.

Firefighters were then informed the USCG had successfully pulled the man from the ice.

Crews still faced a grueling return to shore, taking nearly 40 minutes to cover just 2,000 feet due to the severe conditions, according to the news release.

St. Onge emphasized that the situation could have easily turned fatal.

“Had the Cutter Mackinaw not been where it was, this man would have surely been lost,” St. Onge said in a news release. “The ice he was on was getting smaller by the second.”

Earlier in the day, another individual had inquired about crossing the ice and was warned against it.

St. Onge urged the public to avoid the Straits, stressing that conditions can change rapidly and unpredictably.

“The ice is no joke, (the Straits) are not an inland lake or a mill pond,” he stated in a news release. “Not one entity endorses the ice nor is anyone in charge of its safety or security. Each and every trip is CROSS AT YOUR OWN RISK. In this particular case it was crossed at the First Responders risk … DO US ALL A FAVOR AND STAY OFF THE ICE.”

The chief was also advised the USCG will be giving the 72-hour notice that the waters between the Island and St. Ignace will be cut up.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.