A man who was checking the thickness of ice on a lake in the Maine wilderness crashed into the icy water and drowned on Friday, game wardens said.
Walter Demmons, 62 of Milford, was drilling holes with a friend to check the ice thickness while preparing to fish in Quakish Lake when they heard the ice crack, wardens said. Both men ended up in the frigid water, about 75 yards (66 meters) from shore on the lake in T3 Indian Township Purchase, which is about 8 miles (13 kilometers) southwest of Millinocket, wardens said.
