A boy fell through the ice on Graham Lake on Sunday afternoon when he ran away from a group home with three other kids.
The four children were reported missing about 2:27 p.m. and were likely dressed in pajamas and unprepared for the cold weather, according to Emily McCabe, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
During a search of a road leading to a nearby gravel pit, Game Warden Eric Rudolph spotted one of the children on a nearby island on Graham Lake across from the pit, McCabe said Monday afternoon.
When he crossed the ice to the island, Rudolph found the child was wet and hypothermic. The child told him that his friend had fallen through the ice farther up the lake, according to McCabe.
Ellsworth police Sgt. Chad Wilmont found another child on the ice near Route 179.
Game Warden pilot Chris Hilton spotted two other children on the ice and could see that one had fallen through the ice and was clinging to the edge.
Rescuers were unable to reach the children on foot because of the condition of the ice. But Ellsworth firefighters arrived with two canoes, which allowed Capt. Tyler Kennedy and firefighter and EMT Beau Parker to cross the thin ice and reach the children and bring them to safety.
Three of the children were treated for exposure and hypothermia at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital.
No additional information was immediately available.
