Yellowknife (Feb 02/05) - A Yellowknife man is fortunate to be alive after falling through the ice on a remote lake outside of the city Saturday.

The man spent nearly four hours in temperatures that hovered around -35C with the windchill.

"Anytime somebody goes through the ice, it can be dangerous," said deputy fire chief Darcy Hernblad.

Collecting wood to feed the fires was an ongoing task for the Frozen Searcher participants. Naomi Crawford chops kindling for the wood stove. They were later called to help a man who'd fallen through ice. - Lisa Scott/NNSL photo

The man was snowshoeing with his two dogs on Landing Lake - about 15 kilometres north of Yellowknife - when he fell through the ice and into waist-deep, near-freezing water, said Hernblad.

There was a strong current where the man fell through, Hernblad said, which could have affected the thickness of the ice.

The man was able to pull himself out of the lake and build a campfire, Hernblad said.

He called rescue workers about 45 minutes later using a satellite phone, but was unable to relay his precise location because the GPS device he was carrying would not work. The man believed he was somewhere on Martin Lake, just south of his actual position on Landing Lake.

"He realized hypothermia was setting in and he needed help," Hernblad said.

A three-person rescue team from the Yellowknife fire department walked on foot from Vee Lake to Martin Lake following the man's trail. The snow along the path was too deep for snowmobiles, Hernblad said.

They scoured Martin Lake before the man called the fire department a second time with his precise location after his GPS began working again.

Nearly three-and-half hours after the original call - and an eight-kilometre trek - the fire department rescuers located the man, Hernblad said.

"He was in relatively good shape," he said.

A rescue team on exercises at Ryan Lake - roughly 15 kilometres north - arrived at Landing Lake via snowmobile and transported the stricken snowshoer and his three rescuers back to Vee Lake, where vehicles were waiting.

The man and three ground crew were treated for minor cold injuries, said Hernblad.

He warned people to take precautions when travelling over lakes and rivers.

"Despite all the cold weather we have been having, the ice can still be thin.

"It's important to be aware," said Hernblad.