Large Avalanche Buries Apartment Building in Tahoe’s Olympic Valley

A large avalanche fell from the Tram face of Palisades Tahoe on Tuesday night, slamming into a 3-story apartment building in Olympic Valley and leading to an evacuation of the area. Fortunately, no one was injured in the event.

The Placer County Sheriff responded to the avalanche around 7 pm to find a 25-foot-tall avalanche that had engulfed the bottom two stories of the building. With assistance from the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue crews and their K9s, officials were able to search the building for any lost residents. At this time there is no indication anyone else was caught in the path of the avalanche.

Officials went to find the avalanche had run down the hill for 200 yards. Due to the high avalanche risk in the area, the sheriff evacuated these areas:

• Shirley Canyon Rd to Granite Chief Rd.
• Granite Chief Rd.
• Sandy Way from Wayne Rd. to Navajo Ct.
• Summit Peak Rd.
• Summer Pl.

An evacuation center has been opened at the Community Recreation Center on 10981 Truckee Way, in Truckee. PCSO and county partners will re-evaluate the avalanche risk this morning and will determine whether it is safe for residents to return.

With the blizzard still slamming in the Tahoe region, avalanche danger will likely be prevalent in the coming days. Please be safe in the mountains.