Three people had to be rescued after ice broke away from the shore on Lake St. Clair in Chatham-Kent.
Chatham-Kent OPP and the U.S. Coast Guard were called in after the ice began to drift into the lake from Mitchell's Bay and St. Luke's Bay Saturday.
James Macmillan says he was fishing in St. Luke's Bay when cracks began to form just before 10:30 a.m.
"There was another gentleman that was fishing fairly close to us who got a call from somebody who was closer inland who said there's a pressure crack there that's separating and to hurry up and get your stuff in," he says. "That's was more or less when panic-mode kicked in."
He tells AM800 News three people were too far from shore to make it back.
"Unfortunately they didn't have the time that we did to make it back and had to be rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard," he added.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter assists in rescue efforts after ice breaks away from shore in St. Luke's Bay on Lake St. Clair on Saturday January 30,2021 (Photo by James MacMillan)
MacMillan says the situation escalated quickly.
"My main focus was trying to get to a safe spot," he says. "I didn't really think that far ahead of what would happen if I'm floating away. I was just trying to make sure I made my way into some safe ice."
The U.S. Coast Guard Detachment in Detroit confirmed three people were airlifted to safety from St. Luke's Bay.
Chatham-Kent OPP say people temporarily stranded on the ice in Mitchell's Bay managed to reach land on their own.
Police are reminding the public that the ice is unstable due to fluctuating temperatures.
According to the release, "large cracks have formed creating gaps in the ice making a very dangerous situation, so police are asking the public to use extreme caution on the ice and ensure they have proper safety equipment and a communication device."