Teen Nearly Floats Away on River Ice in Maine

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RUMFORD, Maine (AP) Firefighters say they rescued a teenager who floated away on ice that broke free in the Androscoggin River in Rumford, Maine.

Officials said the teen and a friend were fishing when some ice broke free, trapping one of them while the other made it to shore. The triangle-shaped ice floe was spinning in circles about 15 to 20 feet offshore by the time help arrived.

Firefighter Ray Crockett said he and a rescue swimmer went into the water on Tuesday. They were able to move the ice back to shore before it got caught in stronger currents.

Fire Chief Chris Reed said the teen didn’t realize the danger. He said it would’ve been “fatal” if the ice chunk had flipped and the teen ended up in the icy water.

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