Man dies in unsuccessful attempt to save dog in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE – A man died in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue a dog that fell through thin ice 400 feet from shore in this central Washington town, Grant County sheriff's deputies said.

Mike McCurry, 39, died Monday at Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee after efforts to revive him failed, deputy John Turley said.

Deputies said McCurry, who recently moved to Moses Lake with his family from the Bremerton area, was helping to remodel a house when the dog fell through thin ice more than 400 feet from shore.

He used a piece of plywood to spread his weight as he made his way to the struggling animal but also broke through the ice, and the difficult conditions hampered the efforts of two municipal firefighters to get him back to land, Turley said.

McCurry was still breathing and conscious when the firefighters reached him, but he later lost consciousness and was flown to Wenatchee following initial treatment at Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake.

It was not clear who owned the dog or whether it was a stray.