VNP staff, OPP urge no travel on ice

Ontario Provincial Police caution anyone who may consider going onto the ice for any reason. “It’s not just your own life that may be in jeopardy; consider those who are tasked with attempting to assist,” an OPP statement said.

Voyageurs National Park staff report that in two separate incidents this weekend, park visitors traveling on the ice within the park narrowly averted tragic results when their four-wheel all terrain vehicles broke through the ice.

Aerial reconnaissance and on-site inspections by park staff have shown rapidly deteriorating ice conditions over the past several days due to the extreme warm temperatures and sunny weather, report park staff.

“Park staff are concerned that poor ice conditions are now seriously hampering or may prevent a timely response to a rescue situation,” said a statement released Monday. “Visitors are warned to avoid all travel on the ice as any decision to do so may well be their last.”

At about 11:45 a.m. Sunday, officers of the Ontario Provincial Police Rainy River District Detachment received a report of a submerged vehicle in Rainy Lake at the area of the Noden Causeway.

A pickup truck hauling a trailer with a load of flooring was traveling on an ice road when it went through the ice near the area of Five Mile Dock, near Couchiching First Nation community.

The driver and passenger were unharmed. The vehicle, trailer and debris were recovered by a Fort Frances towing company.

“The public is to be aware of the rapidly changing ice surfaces due to unseasonable warm weather patterns,” wrote the OPP in a warning sent to media outlets. “Unusual for March, (Sunday) marked Fort Frances as one of the warmest areas in the country. The warm weather is welcomed by many, but ice surfaces are quickly weakening so take precautions and reduce the risk, stay off the ice.”

Meanwhile, on Friday afternoon near Wolf Island in Voyageurs National Park, two visitors from the Lake Kabetogama area were traveling on an four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle east of Wolf Island when their ATV broke through the ice. The visitors were able to jump off the ATV as it hung over the ice edge and crawl to thicker ice. The visitors later retrieved the ATV before it broke through the ice completely.

On Saturday afternoon, park rangers were notified of an ATV that broke through the ice in the narrows between Lake Kabetogama and Namakan Lake.

The investigation revealed that Charles Hart and John Mercier, from White Bear Lake and Lino Lakes, along with their children aged 7, 12 and 14, were riding on one ATV in an area typically closed in the winter due to thin ice when their ATV broke through the ice.

All five riders were able to jump off the ATV and onto thicker ice in order to reach the shoreline before the ATV sank. When Hart returned to retrieve his fishing gear and mark the location of the sunken ATV, he broke through the ice and struggled for 15 minutes before he was able to rescue himself.

The party of five returned to their cabin and completed a 3.5 hour walk along the shoreline the following day in order to return to their truck at the Ash River Visitor Center. The ATV now rests in 60 feet of water and is the responsibility of the owner to remove as soon as the area can be accessed by boat.

On Lake of the Woods Monday, the OPP reports that a vehicle went through the through the ice in the area of Rat Portage First Nations Territory. Police arrived on the scene to see a Toyota Sequoia sports utility vehicle pulling two new snow machines on a trailer plunge into the water.

The three American occupants inside were able to exit the vehicle safely before in went under.

Also Monday, the OPP received a report that a dog being walked on the ice in the area behind Dairy Queen in Kenora had gone through the ice. The owner managed to retrieve the dog after entering the water.

 Journal Staff Report Incidents in Voyageurs National Park and Ontario prompt local officials to urge people to use extreme caution on area lakes as ice deteriorates. Voyageurs National Park staff report that in two separate incidents this weekend, park visitors traveling on the ice within the park narrowly averted tragic results when their four-wheel all terrain vehicles broke through the ice. Aerial reconnaissance and on-site inspections by park staff have shown rapidly deteriorating ice conditions over the past several days due to the extreme warm temperatures and sunny weather, report park staff. “Park staff are concerned that poor ice conditions are now seriously hampering or may prevent a timely response to a rescue situation,” said a statement released Monday. “Visitors are warned to avoid all travel on the ice as any decision to do so may well be their last.” At about 11:45 a.m. Sunday, officers of the Ontario Provincial Police Rainy River District Detachment received a report of a submerged vehicle in Rainy Lake at the area of the Noden Causeway. A pickup truck hauling a trailer with a load of flooring was traveling on an ice road when it went through the ice near the area of Five Mile Dock, near Couchiching First Nation community. The driver and passenger were unharmed. The vehicle, trailer and debris were recovered by a Fort Frances towing company. “The public is to be aware of the rapidly changing ice surfaces due to unseasonable warm weather patterns,” wrote the OPP in a warning sent to media outlets. “Unusual for March, (Sunday) marked Fort Frances as one of the warmest areas in the country. The warm weather is welcomed by many, but ice surfaces are quickly weakening so take precautions and reduce the risk, stay off the ice.” Meanwhile, on Friday afternoon near Wolf Island in Voyageurs National Park, two visitors from the Lake Kabetogama area were traveling on an four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle east of Wolf Island when their ATV broke through the ice. The visitors were able to jump off the ATV as it hung over the ice edge and crawl to thicker ice. The visitors later retrieved the ATV before it broke through the ice completely. On Saturday afternoon, park rangers were notified of an ATV that broke through the ice in the narrows between Lake Kabetogama and Namakan Lake. The investigation revealed that Charles Hart and John Mercier, from White Bear Lake and Lino Lakes, along with their children aged 7, 12 and 14, were riding on one ATV in an area typically closed in the winter due to thin ice when their ATV broke through the ice. All five riders were able to jump off the ATV and onto thicker ice in order to reach the shoreline before the ATV sank. When Hart returned to retrieve his fishing gear and mark the location of the sunken ATV, he broke through the ice and struggled for 15 minutes before he was able to rescue himself. The party of five returned to their cabin and completed a 3.5 hour walk along the shoreline the following day in order to return to their truck at the Ash River Visitor Center. The ATV now rests in 60 feet of water and is the responsibility of the owner to remove as soon as the area can be accessed by boat.