Firefighters rescue teenager who fell through ice near Cheney

Spokane County firefighters rescued a 19-year-old man who fell through thin ice Saturday afternoon at Fish Lake northeast of Cheney.

Fire Chief Cody Rohrbach said first responders tied a rope to a backboard, slid it out to the man and pulled him to shore.

After he fell through the ice, Rohrbach said the teenager was able to fight through the ice toward shore for about 75 feet before firefighters from Fire District 3 pulled him the rest of the way.

He said the teenager was exhausted and had a body temperature of 94 degrees, indicative of hypothermia or at least early-onset hypothermia. The teenager was taken to the hospital and Rohrbach said he believes he will be OK.

“Pretty fortunate for that individual that everything went smooth,” Rohrbach said.

He said he was unsure what the teenager was doing on the frozen lake.