A young girl was stranded in the middle of the Welland Recreational Canal, in Welland, ON, Canada on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 after a dock she was standing on broke free from shore.

Welland Fire and Emergency Services were called to the former canal, behind Welland Public Library and Welland city hall, shortly after 3 p.m.

One firefighter dressed in a survival suit at the scene, while other firefighters launched an inflatable rescue boat two kilometres down the former canal.

The dock the girl was on stayed in the middle of the canal and was in no danger of sinking.

She was brought to the former canal wall and helped off on to another dock by firefighters and Niagara EMS paramedics.

Paramedics took her to a waiting ambulance as a precaution.

Welland fire Chief Denys Prevost said he was glad there was no ice on the former canal, which runs through the middle of the city.

“She may have tried to walk to shore … with possible tragic events.”

Prevost said there was no way the girl could have swum to shore from where she was in the middle of the canal.

“You’d cramp up and be done.”

There has been a thin layer of ice in areas of the canal, with water temperatures at or slightly above freezing.

“She was fine as along as she stayed on the dock,” Prevost said, adding she might just be cold from her time on the dock.

The temperature at the time was around 8 Celsius (46 Fahrenheit) and the wind was about 3 km/h (2 m.p.h.)

A young girl was stranded in the middle of the Welland Recreational Canal, in Welland, ON, Canada on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 after a dock she was standing on broke free from shore.

Welland Fire and Emergency Services were called to the former canal, behind Welland Public Library and Welland city hall, shortly after 3 p.m.

One firefighter dressed in a survival suit at the scene, while other firefighters launched an inflatable rescue boat two kilometres down the former canal.

The dock the girl was on stayed in the middle of the canal and was in no danger of sinking.

She was brought to the former canal wall and helped off on to another dock by firefighters and Niagara EMS paramedics.

Paramedics took her to a waiting ambulance as a precaution.

Welland fire Chief Denys Prevost said he was glad there was no ice on the former canal, which runs through the middle of the city.

“She may have tried to walk to shore … with possible tragic events.”

Prevost said there was no way the girl could have swum to shore from where she was in the middle of the canal.

“You’d cramp up and be done.”

There has been a thin layer of ice in areas of the canal, with water temperatures at or slightly above freezing.

“She was fine as along as she stayed on the dock,” Prevost said, adding she might just be cold from her time on the dock.

The temperature at the time was around 8 Celsius (46 Fahrenheit) and the wind was about 3 km/h (2 m.p.h.)