An injured mountain biker had to be airlifted out of the Crawford mountain bike trails near Kelowna Tuesday night after suffering undisclosed injuries.

Firefighters from the Kelowna Fire Department (KFD) as well as members of Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) and the BC Ambulance service responded to a call of an injured mountain biker at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

Rescue crews were able to locate the biker with an all-terrain utility vehicle but due to the nature of the bikers injuries and the rough terrain in the area, crews were forced to utilize a helicopter to access the biker.

The fire department said time was also a factor as the use of the helicopter would have been restricted had it gotten any darker before the rescue.

The Wildcat helicopter moved in and with members of the KFD and COSAR on board, accessed the hiker and flew him out of the area, landing in an area where the ambulance could transport the biker to Kelowna General Hospital.

The nature of the person's injuries were not released.