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Hovercraft Used To Rescue Man Stranded On Ice Island In Hilltowns

Firefighters used a hovercraft to rescue an elderly man who had become trapped on an ice island in the middle of a lake Monday, Dec. 28.

Photo illustration. This photo of a hovercraft is similar to the one used by the Westfield Fire Department

Photo illustration. This photo of a hovercraft is similar to the one used by the Westfield Fire Department

Photo Credit: By Stoaberg - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6052702

The man, who was not identified, was out hunting in the Knightville Dam area in Huntington when he became lost and found himself on a patch of ice 300 feet from shore, according to MassLive.

Using a cell phone, the man was able to call 911 and dispatchers were able to ping his location in the Knigtville Basin.

Huntington, a community in the Hilltowns, was covered in ice and snow making it difficult for responders to reach the stranded man by foot.

Huntington Emergency Management used a drone to relay messages to the stranded man.

A hovercraft from the Westfield Fire Department was used to carry a Huntingont firefighter in a thermal suit out onto the ice to rescue the man. Northampton’s Fire Department, the Massachusetts Environmental Police, and Massachusetts State Troopers also responded to the incident.

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