Stay off city ponds and lakes: Saskatoon Fire Department

Saskatoon Fire Department officials are warning people to stay off city ponds and lakes as it is no longer safe.

They said the recent streak of warm weather has left water standing on top of the ice. On some ponds, ice is receding at the edges, while others have some open holes.

READ MORE: 6-year-old boy dies, brother in hospital after falling through ice in Airdrie

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“Definitely, the ponds have become unsafe for recreation,” Anthony Tataryn, assistant chief of staff development and safety with the fire department, said.

As warmer water flows in from drain pipes, the ice surface is being weakened from below, he added.

“It’s indistinguishable from the surface where it may be weakened from underneath.”

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Officials said that is making the ice unpredictable and rapidly changing.

READ MORE: Extremely dangerous ice rescues in Saskatoon on the rise

The fire department is working with city crews to have signs changed to state ponds and lakes are unsafe for recreational use.

Officials are reminding people to be cautious near large bodies of water.

They also said it is never safe to be out on the South Saskatchewan River ice.