Lake users should beware of hole

People skating or driving on Beluga Lake should be aware of a large hole in the ice off Mattox Street left behind after a Chevrolet Tahoe was removed on Tuesday, Homer Police said in a press release on Jan. 7. The car had gotten stuck earlier in the ice, with its front end broken through. The Tahoe hit a thin patch of ice in an area on the north side of Beluga Lake notorious for weak ice conditions. Open water and thin ice caused by methane seeps can sometimes be found in the area of the lake below Mattox Street. Police recommend that people stay well away from any open water they might encounter and caution that recent warm weather could have caused thin ice conditions on all lakes and ponds in the area.