Watch Video of Two Kids Being Rescued From South Dakota Pond

Well above-average temperatures in South Dakota have been a welcome change from the bitter cold the state was experiencing at this time last year.

But the warmer weather is causing some issues.

One of the biggest is with rivers, lakes, and ponds throughout the Mount Rushmore State, which are typically frozen by late December. That has not been the case this season.

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We were reminded of that again this week when two children fell through some thin ice at Turtle Dam, just east of Sinte Gleska University between Mission and Antelope.

The incident happened late Tuesday (December 19) afternoon and Mission Volunteer Fire & Rescue was dispatched to the scene. Once there, firefighters discovered that a university security officer had removed the children from the water, but not before falling into the water himself.

At that point, all three were stranded in a reeded area in the middle of the water.

Firefighters then deployed a private boat and used a pike pole to propel the boat on the ice from the shore to the reeds. The boat was then pulled back to the shore by rope in a team effort by firefighters, law enforcement officers, and bystanders. Two trips were made, the first for the children and the second for the officer.

All three victims were later transported to a local hospital for observation, they were later released.

During the rescue, Mission Volunteer Fire & Rescue received assistance from Rosebud Sioux Tribe Ambulance Service, and Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.