Skip to content

Officials warn of ice conditions after sisters become trapped

Emergency workers are issuing warnings after two little girls were trapped under ice in a rural area west of Red Deer on Friday.

Emergency workers are issuing warnings after two little girls were trapped under ice in a rural area west of Red Deer on Friday.

Police and ambulances were called to the Ridgewood area at about 10:20 on Friday when unnamed parents discovered their two daughters, aged three and five, trapped under ice in a low-lying area near their acreage home.

The girls were taken by ground ambulance to Red Deer Regional Hospital and flown from there to the Stollery children’s hospital in Edmonton.

Various newsrooms have reported that one of the two girls has since died. However, RCMP will not confirm any details, media officer Sgt. Tim Tamiguchi said on Sunday.

The family has asked for privacy and it is not up to the RCMP to provide updates, said Tamiguchi.

Patrick Moore, who operates the Ridgewood Community Hall, said the acreage home at the site, reported to be on Township Road 380 and just west of Range Road 10, was recently built and its occupants are not well known in the community.

So far, Moore said he has not been contacted by anyone seeking to organize a fundraiser or benefit for the family.

Ponoka Fire Chief Ted Dillon, who has managed numerous ice rescues during the past two decades, said open water is never more dangerous than it is at this time of year.

Water is an irresistible attraction to people of all ages, said Dillon. However, at this time of year, farmers and parents must be especially vigilant to keep themselves, their children, their pets and their livestock on high ground, he said.

Even the deer and coyotes avoid crossing water at this time of year, wary of hazards lurking under the surface, said Dillon.

As winter gives way to spring, the cycle of thawing and freezing creates conditions that are particularly dangerous.

Any surface that’s wet likely has ice underneath and any ice at the surface will have started to break up and is likely too weak to bear any weight, he said.

With the melt-off that has occurred during the past few days, there is a lot of water lying around areas that are usually dry and it doesn’t soak in because the ground is still frozen underneath.

Mud at the surface also makes it difficult to operate rescue equipment because the ground underneath still frozen, so vehicles tend to become mired very easily, said Dillon.

bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com