B.C. search and rescue group saves hikers stranded by wildfire on a glacier

As wildfires continue to burn across the Kootenay region, a group of four women were helicoptered off a glacier in B.C.'s West Kootenay region last week.

The dramatic rescue, amidst a challenging wildfire season, has officials warning people to be careful.

A search and rescue team flew through thick smoke, near an approaching wildfire to find thehikers, who were stranded onthe Macbeth Ice Fields,northeast of Kaslo, about 390 kilometres east ofKelowna.

The four women, who all live in British Columbia, had been camping when the wind picked up, saidMark Jennings-Bates, the Kaslo Search and Rescue manager, who led the rescue.

"Embers were falling on their tent so they ran for their lives," Jennings-Bates told CBC's Daybreak South.

'It's like a war zone'

The rescue was especially challenging withsmoke making visibility difficult for the helicopter pilot, he said.

"It's like a war zone," he said, describing the conditions.

"We were very fortunate to get a helicopter in there, we nearly had to abandon the rescue attempt."

In an interview with the Canadian Press, one of the rescued women Laurence Desjardins says the wind was loud enough to keep her awake through the night as white ash fell around the tent where she was camping with friends on a glacier inB.C.'s West Kootenay region.

They knew they had to leave as quickly as possible.

"But it was nighttime, so we thought, let's wait to have a bit of sun and then we will reassess and leave," she said.

"But then the sun just never came. Even at 5:45 a.m., it was super dark because of the smoke we've been told. And the ashes were [now]red. It was like fire ashes."

Jennings-Bates saidthe stranded women were able to send a text message via satellite through Apple's emergency SOS function, and that ultimately madethe rescue possible.

"We were just able to sneak over a ridge and found them exactly where the cellphone ping said they were, which is really unusual and very satisfying," he said.

"In this instance, their cellphone literally saved their lives."

Woman calls rescuers 'superheroes'

Desjardins said in an interview on Monday that the group of experienced hikers had planned a multiday trip and were given the OK that the roads were open.

"The air was kind of thick, but we could still easily breathe and talk. So, we were like, 'OK, let's go, let's continue.' When we arrived at the glacier, it was still OK. We had dinner outside. We set up our camp," she said.

They found out the road was closed hours after they entered, she said.

Desjardins said the friends were emotional as they were being flown out of danger because they could see trees around the trail they had hiked in on had been burned.

"The real heroes of this story are the search-and-rescue team. These guys are doing this unpaid, on their time and they were just incredible," she said.

"I really felt like a kid looking up at superheroes or something. They were incredible."

Importance of being prepared

Jennings-Bates saidthe rescue is yet another reminder of the need to be prepared, especially during wildfire season.

"Have a plan, make sure people know that plan," he said.

It's a message being echoed across the province with eight weeks still left in summer, and widespreaddry conditions.

TheSoutheast Fire Centre, which covers more than eightmillion hectares of land in the area, is one of six regional fire centres in the province.

"We are still in fire season," said Kim Wright, the Southeast Fire Centre's information officer.

"Everyone in British Columbia should be taking steps to be prepared."

Packing a grab-and-go bag with essential items, doing FireSmart tasks around your home and property, and signing up for emergency alerts, are essential at this time of year, she said.

The Southeast Fire Centre was hit with a lightning storm on July 17, resulting in dozens of wildfires being sparked throughout the region, including the Argenta Creek wildfire, which caused the evacuation of both Argenta and Johnsons Landing on July 25.

Jennings-Bates said he'd been delivering evacuation notices with his crew for 14 hours,when they got the call to rescue the stranded hikers.

Thankfully,the hiking group was able to make it to a safe spot at the toeof the glacier, surrounded by rocks and next to an alpine lake, he said.

"They would have been safe for a few days, frankly, and they were very well prepared," Jennings-Bates said.