A Vermont fire chief says five men who fell through the ice on Lake Champlain are lucky to be alive.
Addison Fire Chief Chris Mulliss says another five or 10 minutes in the water could have meant life or death for the men who fell through three-inch-thick ice at about 3 p.m. Sunday.
Mulliss says two anglers first fell through the ice about 300 feet off the shore in West Addison, then a nearby homeowner and two other anglers fell in while trying to rescue the first two.
About 50 emergency personnel from Vermont and New York helped with the rescue.
Three of the people who fell in got out on their own while two others had to be rescued by the emergency responders.
No one was seriously hurt.