A man from Lawrencetown, N.S., is urging caution when it comes to snow forts after one collapsed on him and two teens.

Steve Bayers says he had been stockpiling snow beside his garage ever since last week’s blizzard, for the lone purpose of building a fort.

His 13-year-old son, Ben Bayers, and the boy's best friend were inside the fort when it suddenly fell apart.

"The kids are laying down and I'm in there with a small shovel shaping some off the ceiling, and the next thing I know the weight of the world comes down on us,” said Steve Bayers.

Completely immobilized, the three started screaming for help, but could barely hear each other. The family dog started digging and managed to reach Steve Bayers' jacket, but couldn't pull him out.

The next door neighbour heard the commotion and ran over with a shovel.

“We knew they were under the snow.  You've only got a certain amount of time,” said neighbour Peter Mansfield. “It was only small, but that snow is heavy. So we just kept shoveling until we got them out."

It took nearly ten minutes to free everyone.

"Hate to overdramatize it as a life or death situation, and it was definitely that," said Steve Bayers. 

Bayers says the soft issues around his knee are certainly damaged, and that he remains shaken up.

“That's it for snow forts for us,” he said. “Never want that to happen to anybody."

Last week, the City of Moncton urged parents to keep their kids from tunneling into big snowbanks, especially with all the heavy equipment working to remove them.

Bayers is echoing the statement, and is asking to parents to ensure their children are safe while playing in the snow.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko.