Five people were cold and wet but otherwise OK after their canoe tipped over early Wednesday evening in Widgeon Slough.
Coquitlam Search and Rescue received a call around 6 p.m. when outside temperatures had dropped to around 3 C, according to SAR president Tom Zajac.
"It would be cold to get into that water," he said, noting two of the people were middle school-aged children.
Fortunately, the group was able to make its way to a cabin, where the resident built a fire and helped warm them up.
"They had a fire and were able to keep themselves safe," Zajac added. "We knew they were together… They were in OK shape."
At first, SAR deployed its new truck — Coquitlam 2 — down Quarry Road to find the stranded canoeists. But when they heard that the group was still near Widgeon Slough, a boat was sent to gather them and bring them to the boat rental building at Grant's Narrows in Pitt Meadows.
Ridge Meadows SAR assisted with the rescue and the subjects were turned over to BC Ambulance.
"We are actually in the process of acquiring a new boat for these sorts of tasks," Zajac said. "We are looking to purchase a new shallow-water jet boat to replace the 25-year-old inflatable."
