Ottawa driver saved from vehicle after driving onto ice in winter storm

A driver was saved from their vehicle on the ice in the midst of a winter storm on the Ottawa River Tuesday afternoon.

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Ottawa Police said on social media that first responders were sent on a priority call at around 5 p.m. in the Crystal Bay neigbourhood of Ottawa's west-end.

Ottawa Fire Services say they received multiple 9-1-1 calls and found a dark grey Kia 30-feet from a boat launch on the river. Firefighters were flagged down by bystanders on the scene in the 200-block of Grandview Road.

Fire crews found the occupant was still in the vehicle and determined the ice was not safe enough for it to reverse back onto shore.

Ottawa Fire ice rescue technicians made their way out to the vehicle and safely brought the driver to shore just after 5:20 p.m. The driver was uninjured and police say the incident was accidental.

Crews then checked on the vehicle to make sure no other occupants were inside.

The vehicle was not able to be rescued and it is unclear how it will be removed from the ice.

This is the second incident of a motorist being rescued from the ice in the region this month after a driver crashed through the Ottawa River in Dunrobin on Jan. 6.

Ottawa Fire Services says no one should attempt to go onto the ice, even in rescue situations.

"Staying on land and calling 9-1-1 is the safest and fastest thing you can do," said Ottawa Fire Services spokesperson Nick Defazio.

"Don't try to go onto the ice by yourself."

It is unclear how the driver made it onto the ice but officials are urging caution around lakes and rivers this winter amid a rash of deaths from individuals falling through ice.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources says the thickness of the ice should be at least 30 centimetres (12 inches) or more for a light vehicle to drive on.