Two men rescued after icy lake dog rescue attempt in Essex

Firefighters Rescue Two Men from Icy Water in Essex

Firefighters responded to a lake in Essex after two men became stranded in icy water while trying to rescue a dog.

The incident occurred at Connaught Water in Epping Forest over the weekend, just before the coldest night of the year on Monday and warnings of Storm Goretti, the first named storm of the year.

Video footage from Sunday shows the men in the water before emergency services arrived to assist them.

Weather Conditions and Eyewitness Account

Temperatures in Epping Forest District dropped to -6C early Sunday morning, according to timeanddate.com.

Ozgur Ontas, an eyewitness who filmed the incident, told Sky News, “My family and I were walking around the lake, we live nearby, when suddenly we saw a man fall into the water and someone else helping him.”

He added, “There was a crowd behind them. They immediately called for first aid, and they managed to get the dog out of the lake within ten or fifteen minutes.”

Rescue Details

Mr. Ontas noted that “first aid arrived and took him away” and that the dog was “wet but fine.”

Essex Fire and Rescue Service stated that a “member of the public fell through ice” while trying to save the dog.

The service confirmed that “the dog was safely reunited with its owners,” and both men were able to exit the water and were cared for by the ambulance service.

Safety Warning from Fire Brigade

Gary Dyer, the fire brigade’s watch manager, emphasized that while the force “completely understand why people want to help in situations like this,” he warned that “cold water can overwhelm the body very quickly.”

He advised, “The safest thing to do is stay out of the water and call us – we have the training and equipment to respond safely.”