by 
UPDATED July 6th at 7:20PM
We are getting reports that the caves have yet again collapsed today, this time with injuries reported. Snohomish County crews are on their way up and we will keep you updated on the story ASAP. Again, there has been another collapse of the Big Four Ice Caves in the North Cascade Area of Washington State, just one day after visitors to the popular destination filmed as collapse, as shown in the video shown below. Rescue crews are in the area, and injuries are rumored to be severe. Full breaking news can be found here.
Original Story:
As we reported in the Spring of 2015, the Big Four Ice Caves are collapsing and are incredibly unsafe. Now, we have video proof of the instability of this iconic PNW location. On July 5th, a video was posted to Youtube showing the Ice Caves nearly collapsing on a group of visitors who were standing near the mouth of the famous destination. While everyone knows to stay out of the caves, Instagramers and “explorers” continue to enter the caves, hoping for a unique experience. I suppose these people got an amazing one as they almost got crushed by falling ice, but I hardly think it is worth the risk.
The cave is collapsing and melting due to the record warm conditions, historic drought and devastating lack of snowpack in the Pacific Northwest is visible in every corner of the state. From the wildfires burning in Olympic National Park’s Queets Rainforest, to the low levels of water in the streams and rivers that salmon depend on for life, this summer is the hottest on record so far, and looks to get worse.
If you do plan on visiting an area like the Big Four Ice Caves, please remember to stay out of them, follow all posted rules and be safe. There is absolutely no need to risk your life for a picture that won’t even be that impressive anyway.
