VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Rivers and lakes are never safe even in the winter due to flowing water beneath the ice according to the North Dakota Game & Fish Department and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Baldhill Dam Resource Manager Scott Tichy said no matter how thick the ice is in one area; it could change a few yards away due to pressure ridges on Lake Ashtabula.

Tichy said so far, two men had to be rescued from the lake after a sheet of ice broke away from the shoreline last month.

The full interview with Scott Tichy is below.

Valley City Fire Chief Scott Magnuson also encourages everyone to be watchful of others on rivers or lake ice. He said no family should have to deal with the tragic consequences of the recovery of their loved one.