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BENTON COUNTY — Authorities say at 16-year-old snowmobiler fell through thin ice on Little Rock Lake Friday morning, Jan. 12.

The boy, from Rice, Minnesota, was treated for hypothermia at the scene, and taken to CentraCare — St. Cloud Hospital for further evaluation, according to a news release from Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck.

At about 11:30 a.m. Friday, a witness called the Benton County Sheriff’s Office reporting that a snowmobile had fallen through the ice on the main basin of Little Rock Lake, according to the release.

The caller reported seeing the snowmobile disappear below the water before observing the driver of the snowmobile climb back onto the ice. The caller reported the driver appeared to be walking toward a fish house near the St. Regis Landing on the lake, according to the release.

Heck said that, after coming out of the water, the boy contacted an angler in a fish house near the St. Regis Landing. The angler took the boy to shore from the fish house on another snowmobile.

The boy told investigating deputies that he had driven his snowmobile onto Little Rock Lake at the St. Regis access and headed to the southeast. Deputies learned that about a half mile from shore, the boy observed open water lying ahead of his path. The boy attempted to stop his snowmobile but was unable to avoid falling into the open water, according to the release.

The boy was treated at the scene for hypothermia by deputies and firefighters from the Rice Rescue Squad, according to the release. He was then taken via Mayo Ambulance to CentraCare — St. Cloud Hospital for further evaluation.

Heck said the sheriff’s office will work with the boy's family to "ensure the snowmobile is removed from the lake according to state law," according to the release.

Heck reminds residents that the ice remains thin on area lakes, despite cooling temperatures.

"Even with the drop in temperatures over the last several days, thin ice and open water exists on significant portions of Little Rock Lake and other area lakes," Heck said in the release. "Anyone venturing onto the ice should exercise extreme caution, use appropriate tools to test ice thickness, and have handy self-rescue or (flotation) devices."