‘Incredibly dangerous’: Officials issue safety warning as ice shelves cover Great Lakes shoreline

Local emergency responders speak out on the danger of ice shelves along the shores of Lake Huron. CTV’s Scott Miller reports.

Waves are violently crashing against monstrous ice shelves that have formed along the shoreline of Kincardine on Friday.

“Every winter we get them. We wonder when the lake’s going to start to freeze over, and of course, we’re wondering when people are going to go out and see how it looks and how far they’re going to go,” explained Shane Watson, Kincardine’s community emergency management coordinator.

Ice shelves cover most of Kincardine’s shoreline, and it’s a similar story along Lake Huron’s entire shoreline, as waves have carried accumulating ice and snow to shore. With no place to go, the ice and snow go upwards, sometimes 10 to 15 feet in the air, creating beautiful, but dangerous conditions for those mistakenly heading out onto the mountainous structures.

“They look like they are solid mounds, but they’re actually caves and they’re hollow inside. So, going out and venturing out on top of them is something we don’t recommend at all, because you could fall through. And to be quite honest, especially if no one’s around, it’s incredibly dangerous for people in the public to do that,” said Watson.

Watson says at least a couple of times a year, Kincardine’s emergency services respond to someone walking out on the ice shelves. No one has fallen through recently, but Watson says if someone did, it would be nearly impossible to save them.

“We do have [an] ice water rescue team, but we’re people too, and we’re not going to put ourselves in a situation that might danger ourselves as well. So, if you can imagine someone falling through a top of an ice cave, who’s going to see them once we get out here, and is it something practical that we can actually go out and help someone and save them? We have to make that determination. We’re going to do everything we can, obviously, to save someone and save a life. But, in circumstances like this, there’s so many unknowns that we don’t want to ever put people at risk,” he explained.

Watson says although majestic, the ice shelves along Kincardine’s shoreline, or any shoreline, are simply too unstable to be walking on. They can change any second, and death is almost a certainty if people fall through.

“Don’t go past the sand edge. As soon as you start seeing that ice, there’s water underneath it. The water got up there somehow, so stay off the ice. Enjoy the scenery. Enjoy a sunset from shore,” said Watson.