A group of 8 highschool and college students, along with their hiking guide, were rescued after being cornered by the Alkali Lake wildfire.
The group of 9 were on a hiking expedition in Mount Edziza Provincial Park when the flames rendered them trapped.
By the time they decided to call for a float plane to help them out, the smoke has become too thick for pilots in Dease Lake to take off.
With the nearest search and rescue helicopter being in Prince Rupert, a mining copter operated by GT Gold took it upon themselves to rescue the group.
It took two trips, but the pilot was able to navigate the dense smoke and bring the hikers to safety.
