Web posted
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Authorities warn against thin ice on ponds
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- Wichita authorities are asking parents to talk to their children about the dangers of walking across ice-covered ponds, after children fell through thin ice three different times in the last two weeks.
On Monday, two 13-year-old cousins fell through ice on a northwest Wichita pond but were rescued in about five minutes after an alert motorist saw the accident. They were taken to a hospital for observation but were expected to be fine.
''They're really lucky,'' Wichita police Lt. Doug Nolte said. ''Another few minutes...''
No one has died in the three incidents because others noticed them fall through the ice soon after it happened, police said. And on Christmas Eve, teens who fell through the ice were able to get out quickly on their own.
The boys involved in Monday's incident told police that other neighborhood kids had walked across the pond in recent days, Nolte said.
Temperature fluctuations that are typical in Wichita means ice can form and thaw quickly, said Ken Cook, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
''It doesn't take but a few days of above-freezing temperatures to make that ice thin enough where people are falling through it,'' Cook said.
Capt. John McLeskey, of the Wichita Fire Department, said children always seem drawn to ice on the ponds.
''I think they're more attracted to it because they've been locked up in the house'' and they're just looking for something fun to do, McLeskey said. ''They think, 'Hey, we can go sledding or skating or just sliding.'''
With temperatures expected to reach the upper 20s Tuesday before warming up to the 40s on Thursday and 50s on Friday, more dangerous ice conditions are possible.
''With our weather warming up and cooling down, it's just unpredictable how thick that ice is,'' Nolte said.
So, the best advice is: Just stay off of it, Nolte said.
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Information from: The Wichita Eagle, http://www.kansas.com
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