LIVERMORE — Three men broke through the ice Saturday evening while ice fishing at Brettuns Pond in Livermore, according to fire officials.

Chief Don Castonguay of Livermore Fire & Rescue said Sunday the three men had been fishing all day when they went through the ice at a spot they “must have passed over about a dozen times.”

By the time rescue workers arrived at the public beach where Keith Street and Route 4 meet, the men were out of the water and warming up at a house that belongs to one of them.

Castonguay said the last man to exit the water had been treading water for about 10 minutes, but the only complaint from the men was numb fingers.

“Somebody saw them and was able to pull them out with a garden hose,” Castonguay said. “One of the men was in the shower when we arrived, and the others were already dressed in dry clothes. They were lucky.”

Castonguay said the lessons from the incident should be that ice is not safe everywhere and it is important to know the body of water one uses for recreation.

He said the only way to know the ice is truly safe is to bore or chip a hole into the ice to confirm proper thickness.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife advises on its website that 4 to 6 inches of ice is the minimum to safely walk on ice.

“I carry a chisel with me, but you can use an auger or pick,” Castonguay said. “I’m just seeing too many people out there this year on thin ice.”

For more information on ice safety, go to MDIFW’s website.