VANCOUVER -- A man is in critical condition after being rescued from a creek in Metro Vancouver.

Surrey Fire Service's assistant chief of operations told CTV News firefighters were called in shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday to perform a technical rescue at Quibble Creek.

The man was stuck in a creek about 20 feet down from the road.

Assistant Chief Steve Serbic said the rescue operation took about an hour, and involved eight trucks and 19 people. Two paramedic crews were also part of the response.

He said the man appeared to have hypothermia.

The man was taken to hospital and then transported by air ambulance to a "higher level of care facility," a spokesperson with B.C. Emergency Health Services said.

It is not yet known how he ended up in the creek.