First responders in South Williamsport after rescuing three teens who fell into the Susquehanna River Saturday night near Sylvan Dell Road in South Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

As three teenage boys began to make their way back to shore by walking over the frozen Susquehanna River in South Williamsport late Saturday afternoon, the ice suddenly cracked and all three immediately went into the bone-chilling water, according to borough Fire Chief Jeff Trammell.

While one teenager made it to shore and safely out of the water on his own, the other two had to be rescued by firefighters who threw ropes to them. The two then used the ropes to get to shore, where firefighters pulled them out of the water, Trammell said.

The boys, all from the South Williamsport area, were returning from an island that was about 30 yards from the shore, Trammell said. The teens went about 20 yards before the frozen ice beneath their feet gave way, Trammell said.

This drama took place in darkness in the 200 block of Sylvan Dell Road, near East First Avenue, about 5:40 p.m., Trammell said.

First responders make their way through dark forest next to the river in South Williamsport on Saturday after three teens fell through the ice. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The threesome had pulled a kayak across the ice to the island, where they spent some time hunting, Trammell said he was told. He did not know how much time they had spent on the island before returning to shore.

No rescue boats had to be deployed, but firefighters set up portable lighting so they could see what they were doing, Trammell said.

“One teen was treated at the scene while the two who were helped out of the water were taken to UPMC Williamsport for evaluation,” he said.

In a month in which emergency responders in the county have been dispatched to four separate traffic fatalities as well as a public suicide inside a city business and a police-involved shooting that claimed the life of a South Williamsport man, this intense water rescue could have easily resulted in another tragedy just five days before Christmas, Trammell said.

“It’s imperative that people are fully aware of the hazards of water,” he said.

“For one person to safely be on the ice, the ice must be at least four inches thick. The ice tonight was probably just two inches,” Trammell said.

Besides the borough, firefighters from the city, DuBoistown, Montoursville and Loyalsock Township as well as UPMC Williamsport paramedics all responded to the scene.