Two Arizona teens were finally rescued Wednesday after spending two terrifying hours clinging to a dead tree while an icy lake began to crack around them.
According to Fox News, a third teen -- who had stayed on the bank of Fool Hollow Lake in eastern Ariz. -- called for help while the other two clung for their lives to the tree.
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Show Low Fire District Capt. Brent Mix told CBS that both teens -- who remain unidentified -- were taken to a hospital for treatment of mild hypothermia after being rescued.
It was a mere 27 degrees when the third teen called for help and 22 degrees by the time the rescue was completed, reported azdailysun.com
In order to reach the trapped teens, a firefighter in a protective suit had to crawl across the lake with a rope. Hen then used the rope to pull over a boat carrying two other firefighters.
The teens got into the boat and it was pulled back to shore, Mix explained to CBS.
"Their hands and feet got pretty cold," he added. "It was dark by the time we got them to shore."
Kirk Webb, a spokesman for the Lakeside Fire District, warned about the dangers of walking onto a seemingly frozen lake.
"It can be particularly dangerous to try to walk on ice on Arizona lakes because temperatures usually don't get cold enough for the ice to freeze solidly," he told azdailysun.com.
"Every once in a while we have kids trying to see how far out they can go," Mix added to CBS. "That was pretty foolish. There was probably an inch of ice in the middle of the lake."
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