1 Man Killed In Roof Avalanche, 2 Others Hospitalized
CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (CBS4) - Emergency officials in Crested Butte say they responded to at least two roof avalanches in the last two days. One man died on Saturday night.
Officials say Blair Burton, 37, and Stephan Martel, 25, were clearing snow from the roof of a commercial building in the Crested Butte South neighborhood.
The men were then buried and authorities arrived about 10 minutes after the 911 call. Employees had started digging the men out.
It's not clear how deep the snow was, but the two were buried for up to 30 minutes.
Burton survived and was taken to the hospital for hypothermia. Martel passed away at the hospital.
On Friday night, emergency crews responded to a home in the Town of Mt. Crested Butte after a man was buried by a roof avalanche.
They say Alex Theaker, 28, was shoveling a sidewalk when the snow from the roof came crashing down on him. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center says he was buried in two-to-three feet of snow for two hours.
When he didn't show up to an appointment, his girlfriend checked on him and found the debris pile. She called 911, and crews found Theaker unconscious and hypothermic.
Officials say he had a "basketball-sized" airspace near his face created by a bent arm.
