Avalanche slams into Olympic Valley apartment building; No injuries reported
OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. — The week-long series of snowstorms that has dropped multiple feet this week led to an avalanche Tuesday evening that struck an occupied apartment building in Olympic Valley.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said that, “Fortunately, all occupants were uninjured and able to evacuate the building with help from fire crews.”
The avalanche happened at about 7 p.m. and was approximately 200 yards wide and 25 feet deep and engulfed the bottom two stories of the three-story building, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Due to the heightened avalanche risk, several additional areas were evacuated, including Shirley Canyon Rd to Granite Chief Rd., Granite Chief Rd., Sandy Way from Wayne Rd. to Navajo Ct., Summit Peak Rd., and Summer Pl.
Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue crews assisted with evacuation efforts Tuesday evening and used K-9 units to search for additional potential victims.
“At this time there is no indication anyone else was caught in the path of the avalanche,” said the Sheriff’s Office on social media.
An evacuation center has been opened at the Community Recreation Center located at 10981 Truckee Way, in Truckee.
The Sheriff’s Office along with county partners said avalanche risk will be re-evaluated Wednesday morning to determine whether it is safe for residents to return.
Source: PCSO
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and beyond make the Sierra Sun's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.