KALKASKA COUNTY, MI – First responders are urging caution on and around water and ice after three people fell through ice and two of them died over the weekend.

Johnathon Brake, 22, and a 13-year-old boy died after falling through the ice on Island Lake in Kalkaska County on Saturday. A 14-year-old boy, who also fell through, crawled out of the frigid water and survived.

“This incident is a reminder that ice conditions across our area are still unpredictable,” Whitewater Township Fire Department said on Facebook. “No ice is safe ice, especially near inlets, outlets, or moving water. Please stay off the ice and keep children and pets away from shorelines.”

A four-person crew from the department assisted the Kalkaska County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies with the search for Brake a

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