People seen walking on dangerous shelf ice at Ohio Street Beach, prompting safety warnings
CHICAGO - Several people were seen walking on the floating shelf ice on Lake Michigan at Ohio Street Beach early Sunday.
What we know:
Several marine distress calls were made over the weekend.
The Chicago Fire Department issued a reminder that no shelf ice is safe.
Though it may appear tempting for a photo opportunity, it’s important to avoid walking on it as you can easily fall through.
What they're saying:
"The best advice is just to stay off of it. It becomes contagious where people want to go out and explore and generally, when people see a hill or a mound, they want to climb to the top of it and it's these peaks of these hills or mounds that are going to be the most fragile," said Dave Benjamin, with the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.
If you plunge into the water below the ice, you may only be able to survive for a few minutes and the involuntary gasp reflex when hitting the cold water can prompt you to inhale water into your lungs, Benjamin said.
The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project has been monitoring shoreline cameras that are set up around Lake Michigan. They've also seen scores of people walking out onto the ice.