8 people, 3 pets rescued after landslide knocks out power lines in Coquitlam, B.C.

A landslide forced the evacuation of four homes in Coquitlam Thursday, and conditions were too treacherous for residents to walk out on their own.

Search and rescue crews used a helicopter and long lines to airlift eight people, two dogs and a cat to safety after a landslide in northern Coquitlam Thursday.

No one was injured when the slide rendered the rescuees’ homes on Pipeline Road inaccessible early in the morning.

“The folks that I talked to were shaken, but in very good spirits,” said Coquitlam Search and Rescue manager Ian Cunnings, speaking to reporters shortly after the rescue effort.

The slide knocked down power lines and caused an outage for more than 5,000 BC Hydro customers, as a series of storms continued to batter the Lower Mainland.

Crews were able to restore power to the vast majority of customers, the utility said on social media, but there were “around 20” who were still without service as of 10:30 a.m.

“Unstable ground is preventing crews from safely reaching the damaged area, but a geotechnical team is on the way to assist,” BC Hydro said.

“We’re working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible, though full restoration may not be until late this evening or tomorrow morning.”

Photos of the slide area shared by the utility show a large amount of debris—including mud, rocks and downed trees—crossing the path of the power lines.

Cunnings said the eight rescued people were all adults. They were transferred to the city’s Emergency Support Services team after the rescue.

Coquitlam RCMP said in a statement that the slide occurred in the “1900 block” of Pipeline Road, north of Upper Coquitlam River Park.

“As a result, Pipeline Road has been closed to northbound traffic near the Coquitlam Water Treatment Plant,” the statement reads. “The public is asked to please stay clear of the area.”

Coquitlam Fire and Rescue Services, Coquitlam SAR and city staff also responded to the incident, police said.

‘Very lucky’ there were no casualties

Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart told reporters he was able to visit the homes on the other side of the slide with the help of police. While the homes themselves appeared intact, there was “really extensive damage” to the surrounding area, he said.

“I couldn’t see any damage in the homes, but they were surrounded by very liquefied gravel and sand, such that there’s no way to step on it, so the only way out was through the air,” Stewart said.

He described the mountainous terrain surrounding the Coquitlam River and its tributaries as “problematic,” and said the city has tried its best to mitigate the risks posted by flooding and landslides in the area.

“We were, in many ways, very lucky that we ended up with no casualties,” Stewart said. “There will be evaluations, once again, of how we try to manage this.”

The mayor noted that Pipeline Road’s name comes from its location leading to Metro Vancouver’s largest drinking water reservoir. There are multiple pipes that run underneath the road, he said, and they will need to be assessed—along with the roadway—and any damage “will require fixing pretty quickly.”

For its part, Metro Vancouver told CTV News that its staff had worked with partners to create an “alternative access route” for workers heading to and from the Coquitlam Water Treatment Plant Thursday.

“Operations at the plant have not been impacted,” the regional district said.

5 days of rain

The slide comes as the B.C. coast deals with its fifth straight day of significant rain.

A series of atmospheric rivers began affecting the region on Sunday, dropping hundreds of millimetres of rain in some areas and bringing warm air that accelerated snowmelt at higher elevations.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre issued flood watches for the South Coast, including Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, on Wednesday afternoon.

“The storm’s extremely long duration, heavy precipitation rates, and potentially significant rain-on-snow and snowmelt contributions all increase the flood hazard associated with this event,” the centre’s statement reads.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has also issued an orange rainfall warning for the northeastern part of Metro Vancouver, including Coquitlam and Maple Ridge.

The weather agency warns that continued rain on an already saturated landscape is increasing the risk of landslides.

A further 80 to 130 millimetres of rain is in the forecast for the area through Friday, ECCC said.

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