Four people fell through the ice of Bridge Lake Friday, April 4.
Sgt. Brian Lamb said the incident was reported to RCMP on Saturday, April 5, though the original incident occurred just after 5 p.m. the day before. According to Lamb, the individuals had been driving across the ice on ATVs when the incident occurred.
Members of the Interlakes Volunteer Fire Department, South Cariboo Search and Rescue and members of the RCMP attended to rescue the individuals who were stranded on the ice. Lamb said all four were safely extracted from the ice and no injuries were reported, other than their exposure to frigid water temperatures.
He noted that three of the ATVs that went through the ice had sunk into the lake. The BC Conservation Service has been advised on the location of these sunken ATVs.
In a statement posted to its Facebook page the IVFD noted while the incident did not result in any fatalities, it was a stark reminder of the unpredictability and danger associated with venturing out onto frozen lakes at this time of year.
"We would like to take this opportunity to remind people that IVFD is not trained or equipped to perform ice rescue. The closest agency that can do so is South Cariboo Search and Rescue," the IVFD said. "SCSAR is also a volunteer organization and can in many cases take several hours to arrive to some of our remote areas. Please be careful and practice safety at all times near and on the lakes."
This incident was one of 102 calls for service RCMP responded to last week.
Window damaged by BB gun
On April 4 RCMP received a report of mischief to a vehicle at a residence along the 4000 block of Highway 97. Lamb said officers were told that the rear drive-side window of the vehicle had been damaged by possibly either a pellet or BB gun. It is unknown when this incident occurred.
Vehicle collides with Hydro pole
RCMP responded to a single-vehicle collision in the 8000 block of Highway 24 on April 7.
On arrival, Lamb said that officers determined the vehicle had left the roadway and struck a utility pole. The driver, who was the only occupant of the vehicle at the time, received injuries that were believed to be minor and were checked on by EHS personnel, who attended the incident with police. RCMP then notified BC Hydro of the incident.
Anyone with information regarding any of these incidents is asked to call the 100 Mile House RCMP detachment at 250-395-2456 or anonymously 24 hours a day at Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at bccrimestoppers.com.
