Image: William Snow / Helicopter rescue Thursday evening near Hope.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Search and rescue

UPDATE: RCMP say wanted man rescued from forested hillside near Hope (VIDEO)

Jul 4, 2025 | 8:54 AM

UPDATE: The Canadian Press is reporting that Mounties arrived to help other first responders near a fire in Hope when they heard a man yelling for help.

Once the fire was contained in the area, police say search and rescue crews found a 27-year-old man stranded on the face of a cliff.

The man was taken out by a helicopter long line and wasn’t hurt, but it turns out there were several warrants out for his arrest and he was taken into custody.

Original story below: 

HOPE — With help from a local helicopter outfit, first responders conducted a long line rescue Thursday evening (July 3) to save a person who was stuck on the side of a steep hillside near Hope.

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Chilliwack resident William Snow witnessed the rescue effort for an individual who was in distress, perched on the mountainous terrain.

“We could hear him saying, ‘Help, help!'” Snow told Fraser Valley Today Thursday night. “He must have lost his footing and fallen into a crevice.”

Image: William Snow

Snow captured video of the moment the person was scooped up by rescue personnel and airlifted away from the mountain and over to safety.

He believes the hiker was brought over to Valley Helicopters, which is located just north of Highway 1 just off Flood Hope Road, because RCMP personnel were there once the rescue wrapped up.

Snow said coloured branding on the side of the helicopter matched fleet belonging to Valley Helicopters, which has been involved in a number of rescue missions for Hope Volunteer Search and Rescue and Chilliwack Search and Rescue. In this incident, Snow said a CSAR truck was parked in Hope at the time of the rescue mission, leading him to believe CSAR did the long line rescue.

Image: William Snow / A Chilliwack Search and Rescue truck was parked in Hope around the time of the rescue mission Thursday evening.

“They had the drone flying around,” Snow said. “They dropped him most likely at Valley Helicopters. That’s where the cops were after they landed.”