A young boy died after he fell through the ice on a canal near his Airdrie home on Monday and a makeshift memorial near the scene continues to grow as the community grieves.
Emergency crews were called to a canal in the southwest community of Bayside at about 1:15 p.m. after someone saw two boys fall through the ice.
Airdrie firefighters pulled the pair from the freezing water and the six-year-old was flown by STARS to Alberta Children's Hospital in critical condition but he died from his injuries.
His ten-year-old brother was taken to hospital by ground ambulance in stable condition and he is now back home with his family.
Residents who live in the area are rattled by the incident.
“It’s really heart wrenching to have something like that happen on Family Day,” said Darren Woolf. “It’s really hard from a parent's perspective.”
Members of the community have been placing flowers and stuffed toys at the scene in honour of the little boy that died.
"I have no words to express how she feels," said Ashley Brander. "I feel so bad for their family."
Fire officials say the warmer weather is creating unsafe conditions on many waterways and people should take precautions.
“The fire department really encourages people to stay off the ice. We have such fluctuating temperatures here in Calgary with Chinooks so there’s a real freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw cycle and there’s no predicting how thick or thin the ice is, especially where there’s moving water, it erodes the ice from underneath and so you just can’t predict and really the safest choice is to stay off the ice completely,” said Carol Henke, Public Information Officer, Calgary Fire Department.
The victims have not been identified.
