With the help of four civilians, Barrie police say officers rescued three people on local waters as the thunderstorm started to brew Wednesday night.
As the weather started to turn, police say they received a report of two people stranded in a raft in Kempenfelt Bay without life jackets and unable to paddle back to shore.
Officers then attended the Centennial Beach area, where they saw the raft about 150 metres offshore.
The police service’s marine unit hadn’t arrived yet, so the officers approached four civilians who were on a private boat at the Barrie Marina.
The four civilians offered to help in transporting and assisting with the rescue, police say, and a 21-year-old woman and an 18-year-old woman were subsequently rescued from the raft.
After the women were rescued, officers say they were informed of a kite-boarder who was also in distress off of Johnson Beach.
The four civilians agreed to continue to help, and a 37-year-old man was subsequently rescued from the water with his kite-board.
The three who were rescued were transported to shore and assessed by paramedics.