Brome Lake’s five municipal skating rinks, including the lake, are officially closed.

The closure of all skating rinks comes as a precaution for the upcoming warm weather. Early closure of the lake is unique to this year due to the “weird” winter. The region received heavy snowfall but not the extended periods of deep freeze weather. 

“A couple years ago we had 30 inches of ice. Usually it is 24 inches to 30 inches. This year varied from four to six to eight and people were still on there,” explained Richard Burcombe, Mayor of Brome Lake.

Currently, the fluctuating weather is causing the ice to be unstable. It is advised to stay off the ice but, just this morning, ice fishermen dragged their heavy equipment onto the ice causing concern among some citizens. 

This year saw more incidents of people falling through the thin ice. The thin ice even caused a mid-season shut down to keep citizens and emergency crews safe. First responders responded to over 25 calls regarding ice incidents this season and have been called to a concerning amount of residential fires since the end of February giving reason as to why they cannot be called for avoidable accidents.

It is also important to note for citizens to be cautious of their own ponds or rivers that cross over their property. The lake is not the only concerning body of water. Along with the five municipal skating rinks, all town maintained toboggan hills are now closed. 

“My recommendation is to not go on it, but if you do you better be very careful because you could fall through,” stated Burcombe. 

Here is Mayor Richard Burcombe: