(WWJ) Everyone involved survived, but a couple of cases in one day in Oakland County serve as a safety reminder in spring-like temperatures this week.
"STAY OFF THE ICE!," the Oakland County Sheriff's Office advised in a tweet. "It has been too warm and is too late in the season to test the integrity of the ice. We have had three people go through the ice today as a result of warmer temperatures. Stay safe out there and be smart around water."
In the first case, at around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, OCSO deputies and firefighters were dispatched to the 300 block of N. Conklin Road in Orion Township on a call about two people who'd fallen through the ice near a dock.
The OCOS Dive Team was activated before deputies arrived on the scene to find that the victims had been able to get themselves out of the water.
The men — a 71-year-old from Pontiac and a 69-year-old from Lake Orion — said they walked out on the ice to go fishing and had fallen through when making their way back to shore.
The Dive Team was cancelled, and both victims refused medical treatment.
In a second incident, about four hours later in Oakland Township, deputies and firefighters responded to the 3000 block of Deer Springs Lane on a report about a woman on the lake who was jumping up and down on the ice — attempting to break through — when she fell through.
Again, the Dive Team was activated but was canceled when it was learned that the woman had already gotten out of the water.
Deputies arrived on the scene to find there were two juveniles playing on the lake, but couldn't find the woman who'd earlier fallen in. She'd left the scene and her condition is unknown.
The kids, who were wearing waders, came to the shore when called by deputies, and said they were playing alone on the lake.
OCOS said the juveniles were advised to stay off the ice, as it was not safe, and they were sent home.
Keeping in mind that incidents such as these can be deadly, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources offers the following tips regarding ice safety:
- Your safety is your responsibility! There is not a reliable "inch-thickness" to determine if ice is safe.
- You can test ice thickness and quality using a spud, needle bar or auger.
- Strongest ice: clear with bluish tint.
- Weak ice: ice formed by melted and refrozen snow. Appears milky.
- Stay off ice with slush on top. Slush ice is only half as strong as clear ice and indicates the ice is not freezing from the bottom.
- A sudden cold front with low temperatures can create cracks within a half-day.
- A warm spell may take several days to weaken ice, and cause the ice to thaw during the day and refreeze at night.
- Ice weakens with age.
- If there's ice on the lake but water around the shoreline, be extra cautious.
- Stronger the current on the lake, the more likely the ice will give to open water.
- Avoid areas of ice with protruding debris like logs or brush.
- Keep an eye out for dock bubblers or de-icers as the ice near these mechanisms will be unsafe. Always check the ice and be aware of your surroundings.
Temperatures have been in the 60s to near 70 degrees the last couple of days in metro Detroit.
