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

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 the hikers, who were stranded on the Macbeth Ice Fields, northeast of Kaslo, about 390 kilometres east of Kelowna.

The four women, who all live in British Columbia, had been camping when the wind picked up, said Mark 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. 

The rescue was especially challenging with smoke 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."

Jennings-Bates said the stranded women were able to send a text message via satellite through Apple's emergency SOS function, and that ultimately made the 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."

Jennings-Bates said the 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 widespread dry conditions.