A family of three had to call 911 Sunday evening as nightfall changed their floating adventure on Eramosa River into something scary, said a deputy chief with Guelph Fire Department.
Two adults and one child were floating downstream on the Eramosa River between Watson Road and Jones Baseline Sunday, said deputy fire chief Steve Goode.
The family were using floatable items, not a dinghy, on the fast-moving but shallow water, said Goode.
“They found themselves in a little bit of trouble and contacted 911 to get some assistance to get them off the river and into a place that was safe,” he said.
The 911 call came in just after 10 p.m. and Guelph Fire Department, assisted by Puslinch Fire Department, attended the scene fire trucks, an amphibious vehicle and a boat.
“We were able to see latitude and longitude of the location from their cell,” said Goode. “That pinpointed it for us. There was a neighbour that knew the trails that assisted us in locating them.”
It took almost an hour to locate the family, said Goode.
“Without the assistance of the neighbour, there’s no way we would have been able to find them the way that we did,” he said.
The family was recovered unharmed, found ‘quite a ways’ from where they had started their floating adventure.
Goode said the incident happened under very unusual circumstances.
“Experimenting with the waterways after dark is not a wise thing to do, because you can get disoriented. Even within the city limits, things can get kind of scary,” he said.
