The London Fire Department rescued an eight-year-old boy from the frigid waters of the Thames River near Cobblestone road Thursday night around 7 p.m.
The ice water rescue team got the child safely back to shore after he ended up in the river.
“Our crews arrived and quickly in darkness were able to locate the child in the darkness and get them to land,” said Colin Shewell, a platoon chief with London Fire.
“They were not in any distress when we got there, but they were in waist-deep water.”
Shewell said the child was not injured and was in good spirits when the firefighters left.
The child had been playing along the river with his father at the time and Shewell said the parent did the right thing by calling for help.
This time of year, Shewell said, the water is both very cold and fast-moving, which can make it difficult for crews to locate a victim.
“The danger right now is the water is so cold, medical distress is imminent as soon as you get in that water.”
This water rescue is the second London firefighters have performed in the last two weeks.
On Feb. 28, the ice water rescue team rescued a woman who had fallen into the river around 11 a.m.
Friday morning, the London Police Service issued an immediate boating ban on all portions of the Thames River within London due to high water levels.
The ban comes after the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority notified police the water levels in the river had reached a “hazardous point.”
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