Spokane Valley man dies after falling through ice

Dale Renfro of Spokane Valley, 60, died Friday after falling into a remote lake near Harrison, Idaho, according to a Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Renfro, a University of Idaho graduate and engineer at Garco Building Systems, according to his Facebook page, was an avid fisher and likely fell into the water while trying to ice fish, family told deputies, according to the release.

Around 4:20 p.m. Friday, a 911 caller reported a person was yelling for help from the area of Blue Lake near Brewster Road and Blue Lake Road. Deputies, a dive team and medics searched the water and land. They found Renfro dead, partially in the water, the release said.

As of Saturday, deputies did not know if Renfro died by drowning or as a result of long exposure to the cold. Blue Lake has very little public access and getting there by land is difficult during the winter months, the release said.

Typically, lakes near Harrison freeze up but this winter has been warmer than usual. Deputies recommend wearing a lifejacket, the release said.