Man dies after fall through ice

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man died Monday, after attempting to rescue a dog which had wandered onto unstable ice behind a residence on Valley Road.

Mike McCurry, 39, reportedly fell through the ice after traveling more than 400 feet from shore to rescue the dog, according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office. He was recovered by two Moses Lake Fire Department firefighters, but later died at Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee after efforts to revive him failed.

The sheriff's office said McCurry had been helping to remodel a house on the 1700 block of Valley Road. He grabbed a piece of plywood to spread his weight as he traveled onto the ice to recover the dog just before 11 a.m. The dog drowned, but McCurry was reportedly able to hold onto the plywood and was breathing and conscious when rescuers reached him.

Chief Deputy John Turley said frozen and frigid waters made attempts to reel in McCurry and his rescuers slow and exhaustive. The two firefighters eventually were able to make it back to shore and transport McCurry to Samaritan Hospital; he was later flown to Central Washington Hospital.

McCurry and his family had recently moved to Moses Lake from the Bremerton area.

Representatives from the sheriff's office, fire department and Grant County Fire District No. 5 all responded to the incident, and are encouraging people not to travel on to the ice on Moses Lake for any reason.

— Staff report