Mystery light prompts lake search west of Cloquet

Members of the Cloquet Area Fire District combed Big Lake for two hours Thursday night, looking for a snowmobile that may have fallen through the ice.
The search on the lake west of Cloquet was unsuccessful, CAFD Chief Kevin Schroeder said - because there was no snowmobile. It was a dog. And it didn’t fall through the ice.
Schroeder said a resident had reported seeing a light coming across the lake that “suddenly disappeared,” and was worried a snowmobile had gone through an open area in the ice.
Schroeder said they eventually solved the mystery, after learning that a dog with a lighted collar had been frolicking on the lake.
“We spent two hours in the water looking for a snowmobile, and it turned out to be a black Lab,” Schroeder said with a chuckle. “But that’s a better ending to the story.”
He added that the CAFD encourages everyone to be careful on the ice, as it is not yet safe in many areas of the Northland.