West Kelowna fire crews were called to Shannon Lake Tuesday morning (March 2) for an ice rescue.
A man in his 60s had fallen through the ice and was reportedly holding onto an ice shelf at about 11 a.m.
Eight firefighters performed an ice rescue, safely pulling the man to shore.
A man in his 60s has been rescued by #WestKelowna Fire Rescue after falling through the ice at Shannon Lake. @IAFF4457 fire chief Jason Broland said "Ice season is over… this was a bad choice." For @WestKelownaNews @KelownaCapNews @ScanKelowna pic.twitter.com/1kkRcpgdCO
— Phil McLachlan (@newspaperphil) March 2, 2021
Other than being very cold, the man was not suffering any apparent injuries. He was transported to hospital for care.
Fire Chief Jason Brolund said it’s unclear why the man was on the lake in the first place.
There is still ice covering Shannon Lake, however, it is very thin as temperatures reached 10 C, on March 2. Brolund was not surprised this individual fell through.
“This should be a reminder to the public that ice season is over. It was double-digit temperatures yesterday, it’s double digit temperatures again today, and we’re not even into the warmest part of the day,” said Brolund.
“This was a bad choice, and I’d encourage the public to stay off the ice at the valley bottoms now, it is not safe. We don’t want to have to come and get you like we did this gentleman.”
According to Brolund, West Kelowna crews almost made it through the whole winter season without an ice rescue, until this incident.
"Ice season is over," says @IAFF4457 Fire Chief Jason Brolund, following the ice rescue of a man in his 60s at Shannon Lake this morning. For @KelownaCapNews @IAFF4457 #westkelowna @ScanKelowna pic.twitter.com/FLKSEkEhaC
— Phil McLachlan (@newspaperphil) March 2, 2021
This story has been updated to include more information from Fire Chief Jason Brolund.
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West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund. Phil McLachlan, Kelowna Capital News.
Ice rescue on Shannon Lake. Phil McLachlan, Kelowna Capital News.
