A man was sent to hospital Sunday evening after he broke through the ice at Elora Gorge, says Fire Chief Brad Patton of Centre Wellington Fire Rescue.
The man was part of a group hiking through the gorge, said Patton.
The call for service came in at 5:50 p.m. on Sunday.
“It was a group from Waterloo down walking through the gorge. One went through the ice and broke his ankle,” said Patton.
Centre Wellington Fire Rescue, EMS, and Wellington County OPP attended the scene.
The operation took about an hour and a half from the time the call came in to the fire trucks returning to station.
Patton said rescue operations in the gorge can be complicated and use up a lot of resources. Units from both the Elora and Fergus fire stations attended Sunday’s call.
“We have to be very careful of our own footing when we are descending into the gorge at this time of the year. It’s even more difficult when you have a stretcher and you’re carrying people,” said Patton.
Last week, a dog died after falling in the water and two weeks before that another dog required surgery after falling into the gorge.
“We encourage people to keep away from the ice and the river at this time of the year. It can be very slippery and dangerous,” said Patton.
