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River Ice

River ice not yet safe: City of Kamloops

Jan 14, 2020 | 11:23 AM

KAMLOOPS — Just because the weather is cold doesn’t mean river ice is safe to walk on.

The City of Kamloops issued a news release Tuesday (Jan. 14), acknowledging the -20 temperatures lead to the rapid formation of ice on the Thompson Rivers.

But according to Kamloops Fire Rescue Life Safety Educator Lyle Weniger, that cold weather has not been with us long enough to allow the newly-formed ice shelves to properly solidify.

That instability combined with river currents leads to hazardous conditions for anyone — human or animal — who ventures out onto the ice.

Weniger says if your pet eludes your control and runs out onto the river ice, getting in trouble, you shouldn’t go after it and attempt your own rescue.

Instead, Weniger says you should stay on the shore and call 911 to allow trained rescuers to attend to the situation.

But the best plan, he notes, is to stay far away from the river ice with your pets.

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