A video captured by hiker Sara Soleimani shows the roof of an ice cave at the Big Four Ice Caves in Washington state collapsing on Sunday, narrowly missing a group of hikers inside.
A civil engineer from Long Beach, California and an experienced mountaineer, Soleimani told Global News in an email that she knew it was unsafe inside the ice cave.
“The roof was very thin with holes in it. Water was running all over the cave and these are all signs of danger. There are so many signs on the trail warning not to enter the cave.”
In the video, Soleimani can be heard telling her hiking partners in Farsi that she had a bad feeling.
“I think something is happening. I feel something is happening. People are inside.”
Seemingly out of nowhere, a large chunk of the ice cave crumbles to the ground, spewing large pieces of packed snow around the cave’s entrance.
“The ground rumbled. It was terrifying and I was shocked,” said Soleimani.
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One man in the video who is seen standing close to the cave to take a picture scrambles away as his hat is blown off his head.
Soon after, at least four people are seen exiting the cave unscathed.
Soleimani said she spoke to the people who were inside the cave after the roof collapsed. She said they were “very scared” and that they believed that they were trapped inside.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning about the Big Four Ice Caves’ danger due to the warming weather in mid-May.
In addition to their warning, the statement included a reminder about the accidental death of 11-year-old Grace Tam who died in 2010 when she was struck by an ice chunk that had fallen off. A marker stands at one of the ice cave’s trail viewpoints to commemorate the girl and warn other hikers.
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