FARMINGTON – Firefighters donned cold-water suits and life preservers Sunday to rescue two college students who were stuck on the ice of a flooded field and couldn’t get back to land.
The Sandy River had overflowed its banks and closed down portions of Front Street and Route 4.
University of Maine at Farmington students Randy Rothert, 22, and Gwynne Everatt, 20, had walked out on the ice behind the flooded college parking lot off Front Street and into the woods to check out the ice, Farmington police officer Mary Pratt said Sunday.
Firefighters reached the two college students by walking and crawling, Fire Rescue Chief Terry Bell said Sunday.
They had Rothert and Everatt put on life preservers, and they helped them walk and crawl back to shore, he said.
Pratt said Rothert made it back OK. But Everatt and her rescuer broke through the ice a couple of times before making it safely to shore.
Bell said firefighters got the rescue call at about 4:45 p.m. He said there was about 4 feet of water out there.
NorthStar Emergency Medical Services personnel were on hand to check out Rothert and Everatt, Pratt said.
Pratt said she encouraged them to stay off the ice.
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