It was a usual Monday morning as three friends set out to hike Mt. Bruce in southeastern BC..Little did they know, a wildfire and a fearless helicopter pilot would change their lives forever..Sage Randle said things changed when she noticed smoke coming from the mountainside she and friends had just hiked..“Not your usual Monday! We were just about to start heading down after lunch on the peak of Mount Bruce and noticed a tiny plume of smoke in the direction of the trail/my car," Randle said on Facebook.."Within 10 minutes it was growing huge and moving towards us.".Luckily, she had her cellphone which still had a signal and began to call search and rescue..Little did she know, help was already on the way.."We reported the fire then while I was on the phone with search and rescue, Glacier Helicopters Invermere pulled up," Randle said..The private tour company has been contracted by the Southeast Fire Centre to help out during the unprecedented wildfire season.."They were checking out the fire and saw my car at the trailhead and came to our rescue," Randle said..The pilot from Glacier Helicopters Invermere told the hikers they had a very short window if they wanted to get their car out of the fire zone..The pilot quickly maneuvered out of the hot zone and the hikers were dropped off at the parking lot and Randle drove away quickly..The pilot then hovered above in the helicopter to ensure they made it out okay.."Thank you, guys, so much for getting us out of a scary situation! It’s dry out there, stay safe," Randle said..The Western Standard reached out to Glacier Helicopters Invermere for comment, but so far has not heard back.
It was a usual Monday morning as three friends set out to hike Mt. Bruce in southeastern BC..Little did they know, a wildfire and a fearless helicopter pilot would change their lives forever..Sage Randle said things changed when she noticed smoke coming from the mountainside she and friends had just hiked..“Not your usual Monday! We were just about to start heading down after lunch on the peak of Mount Bruce and noticed a tiny plume of smoke in the direction of the trail/my car," Randle said on Facebook.."Within 10 minutes it was growing huge and moving towards us.".Luckily, she had her cellphone which still had a signal and began to call search and rescue..Little did she know, help was already on the way.."We reported the fire then while I was on the phone with search and rescue, Glacier Helicopters Invermere pulled up," Randle said..The private tour company has been contracted by the Southeast Fire Centre to help out during the unprecedented wildfire season.."They were checking out the fire and saw my car at the trailhead and came to our rescue," Randle said..The pilot from Glacier Helicopters Invermere told the hikers they had a very short window if they wanted to get their car out of the fire zone..The pilot quickly maneuvered out of the hot zone and the hikers were dropped off at the parking lot and Randle drove away quickly..The pilot then hovered above in the helicopter to ensure they made it out okay.."Thank you, guys, so much for getting us out of a scary situation! It’s dry out there, stay safe," Randle said..The Western Standard reached out to Glacier Helicopters Invermere for comment, but so far has not heard back.
