Editor’s note: the number of those rescued has been updated to reflect new information provided by Coquitlam Search and Rescue.
Eight people needed rescuing Thursday morning after a mudslide along the Coquitlam River, north of the city.
The Coquitlam RCMP says it responded to the scene near the Coquitlam Water Treatment Plant on Pipeline Road around 5 a.m.
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Coquitlam Search And Rescue (SAR) manager Bob Hetherington says the flow travelled across the road toward four homes.
“They were unable to get out of their property,” Hetherington explained.
He says the SAR needed a helicopter and long-line techs to extract the residents.
“And we evacuated them: two, three at a time. Plus two dogs and the cat.”
Hetherington says the provincial government will find lodgings for the residents until crews can clear the road.
BC Hydro says the mudslide also brought down power lines, resulting in an outage in the area.
In a post to social media, the utility says it’s working to restore power, but it may take several hours.
“Unstable ground is preventing crews from safely reaching the damaged area, but a geotechnical team is on the way to assist.”
Images from the scene show mud and debris scattered along a line of power poles.
Mounties closed the northbound lanes of Pipeline Road and are asking people to avoid the area.
The mudslide follows days of heavy rainfall after a prolonged atmospheric river over much of B.C.’s coast this week.
On Wednesday, the province’s River Forecast Centre issued a flood watch for the South Coast, including parts of Metro Vancouver, the North Shore, Squamish, the Fraser Valley, and the Sunshine Coast.
During a flood watch, the centre advises people to stay clear of fast-flowing rivers, as their river banks may become unstable.
