Avalanche kills Washington state trooper riding snowmobile on mountain, police say

A Washington State Patrol trooper died Monday after a large avalanche swept over him, officials said.

The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue crews responded to an avalanche in the French Cabin Creek area.

One of the two men swept up in the avalanche “was able to dig himself out” of the snow and call for help, officials said. Steve Houle, the trooper, however, was missing and later found dead. They were snowmobiling at the time of the avalanche, according to KAPP/KVEW.

“This is a tragic accident and will be felt hard in our close-knit law enforcement community,” Sheriff Clay Myers said in a statement.

Houle, 51, worked for the Washington State Patrol for 28 years, according to the Kittitas County Sheriff.

“Steve was a great person and an excellent employee, loved and respected by us all,” Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste said in a tweet. “We hold his memory and his family close to our hearts in this painfully sad time.”

Avalanche danger has been “very high” in recent weeks in the West, Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office said.

Since Feb. 1, 15 people have died from avalanches in the U.S., according to the Avalanche Information Center.