EVELETH — Crews have rescued two men who fell through the ice on a lake south of Eveleth on northeastern Minnesota’s Iron Range.

First responders arrived Monday to find the men clinging onto the ice in a large area of open water. The men, both from the town of Iron, were taken by ambulance to a Virginia, Minnesota, medical center to be treated for hypothermia and exposure.

According to a press release, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Owffice said the men had been traveling on a snowmobile and pulling a portable ice house when they broke through the ice. Authorities believe the men were in the water for up to 45 minutes before they were able to signal for help and first responders could arrive.