If you need help, stay put.
That is the message from District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services after a technical rescue at Lynn Canyon Monday night.
Fire crews received a call just after 9 p.m. about two teenagers who were trapped below the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge.
With limited information on location from the initial call, park rangers were on scene to help firefighters locate the two 18-year-old girls. When fire crews arrived, they looked around with headlamps and flashlights and found the two were downstream from the suspension bridge, out of the water on the east side of the canyon.
Ryan Stewart, assistant fire chief, said crews began a rope rescue near the suspension bridge, but faced challenges with the steep slope and loose rocks in the dark. So firefighters deployed an inflatable rescue boat off the bridge, with rescuers scaling down to hop into the boat and paddle out to the stuck hikers.
But as rescuers got closer, the pair fled from the area.
“The people that were in the canyon panicked … or were fearful of being in trouble,” Stewart said.
He said the two went up a trail system where they were eventually met by a park ranger, who got them out to safety. The call wrapped up just after 11 p.m., Stewart said.
After Monday’s call, the assistant fire chief is reminding the public to stay put if you need to be rescued, and to not run away.
“Doing that can put yourself in harm’s way,” he said. “There’s a lot of dangerous spots in the canyon where they were, which could have led to very serious injury or death.”
Lynn Canyon is a hot spot for rescue calls, especially over the summer as more people are out enjoying the warm weather, Stewart said.
Although it may appear safe down in the canyon in certain areas, Stewart said there are hazards like cliffs and loose rocks as well as the water system, which can be treacherous.
If you are in need of a rescue, it helps if you call out to crews so they can find you, said Stewart.
“We’re there to help the public,” he said. “Our primary concern is their safety.”
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Jul 21, 2026 at 21:42
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