3 hikers rescued from floodwater near Coquitlam; mudslide closes nearby road

A rescue mission has concluded successfully after a creek near Coquitlam overflowed Saturday, stranding three hikers.

The Coquitlam Search and Rescue (CSR) says the hikers crossed Pritchett Creek while traversing Burke Mountain north of the city.

A surge of water caused by heavy rainfall created an offshoot creek, making the trail “impassible,” CSR says.

Rescue Manager Raymond Nostrand tells 1130 NewsRadio that CSR members had reached the hikers Saturday afternoon, but not without a struggle.

“We ended up having to go all the way up to the top of the mountain and over the other side of the creek, because that was the only safe way to get across,” said Nostrand.

He says CSR then had to determine the best way to get the hikers and rescuers out of the area.

“We’re now going to be probably setting up a long line — which means a rope between several trees —  and try to ferry them across a rope over the top of the river.”

In a photo posted to social media at 7 p.m., CSR members can be seen running the “highline rescue” over whitewater rapids.

In an update before 9 p.m. Saturday, CSR said all three hikers were successfully rescued.

The rescue team says its members are “now dismantling the highline and hoping to go home to dry out and get some rest.”

Nostrand says the hikers were uninjured, but urged others not to follow their lead.

“Don’t go out. It’s not the time to be out hiking. We want to encourage people to be out in the outdoors, but not this weekend.”

Nearby, the Coquitlam RCMP says Quarry Road between Calgary Drive and MacIntyre Road is closed after a mudslide.

Mounties say the area is “unstable, dangerous, and unsafe”.

Drivers and hikers are asked to avoid the area until further notice.