Cyclist stuck in swamp near Munster rescued by Ottawa fire crews

A cyclist is safe after spending about an hour stuck in a swamp near Munster and needing to be rescued by local emergency officials.

Around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 12, Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) responded to a 911 call from a person who had gone for an off-road bike ride in Marlborough Forest, attempting to use a route they had found on their phone.

The caller told the dispatcher they had become stuck waist deep in the swamp, surrounded by water, while trying to bike through heavy terrain.

The cyclist had entered the forest from Kettles Road, but when OFS dispatchers pulled up the GPS coordinates, they found the person was trapped closer to the dead end of Goodstown Road.

When OFS search teams arrived at the scene, they found a fork in the path about 500 metres into the forest from Goodstown Road, one that led south and one that led west into the forest. Two search teams were established, one heading south and one heading west, while the dispatcher stayed on the phone with the 911 caller, keeping them calm and advising them to keep their phone light on for visibility.

The westbound team found the trapped cyclist. A utility task vehicle (UTV) packed with medical supplies was brought in to help free the person from the muck, however, the terrain was so muddy, the UTV became stuck at the fork in the path.

Three firefighters then made their way on foot, making contact with the trapped person shortly before 8 p.m..

The individual and their bike were pulled from the swamp and brought back to the entrance on Goodstown Road to be looked over by paramedics. One of the three firefighters was also assessed by paramedics as a precaution for heat exhaustion and released.