CAIC: Colorado Avalanche Information Center

2017/04/01 - Alaska - North Pole

Published 2017/07/13 by Spencer Logan - Forecaster, CAIC


Avalanche Details

  • Location: North Pole
  • State: Alaska
  • Date: 2017/04/01
  • Time: 1:30 PM (Estimated)
  • Summary Description: 1 resident partially buried-critical, later died
  • Primary Activity: Resident
  • Primary Travel Mode: Foot
  • Location Setting: Town/Settlement

Number

  • Caught: 1
  • Partially Buried, Non-Critical: 0
  • Partially Buried, Critical: 1
  • Fully Buried: 0
  • Injured: 0
  • Killed: 1

Avalanche

  • Type: R
  • Trigger: N - Natural
  • Trigger (subcode): --
  • Size - Relative to Path: --
  • Size - Destructive Force: --
  • Sliding Surface: --

Site

  • Slope Aspect: --
  • Site Elevation: --
  • Slope Angle: --
  • Slope Characteristic: --

Accident Summary

A 4-year-old girl trapped for eight minutes under snow that slid off the roof of her North Pole home died at an Anchorage hospital. "A large amount of snow broke free of the metal roof on the residence" as the girl stepped outside. Other residents found her hand about 8 minutes after the avalanche. She was buried under about 5 feet of snow, and was pulseless and not breathing. She was taken to the hospital and stabilized, but died two days later.

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