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Vancouver firefighters rescue stranded window washers from downtown skyscraper

It's unclear what caused them to become stuck.
vfrs-rescue-trapped-window-washers
Vancouver Fire Rescue service help trapped window washers to safety.

Two window washers became trapped on the 11th floor of a West Georgia skyscraper Thursday afternoon (Mar. 9) and needed to be rescued.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Service performed what's known as a "pick-off" where a firefighter is lowered down and harnessed to the trapped person before repelling them to safety.

Asst. Chief Dan Nichols tells V.I.A. there were no injuries and the platform the window washers were standing on remained level. He doesn't know what exactly caused them to get stuck but suspects it was a mechanical failure.

"It's an extravagant system they're running," he says.

The westbound lanes between Richards and Homer were closed for the rescue effort but have since been reopened.