205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM
Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 02/08/2021 - A large avalanche field overtook two snowmobilers Monday, killing one of them.
The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office and Kittitas County Search and Rescue crews responded to a report of a person caught in an avalanche in the French Cabin Creek area north of Cle Elum today. Kittcom received a report around 12:40 pm of two subjects overcome by an avalanche near Knox Creek Trailhead. One of the subjects was able to dig himself out and make his way back to the French Cabin Creek sno-park to find help; but he was unable to locate his partner. Search and Rescue personnel located the missing subject, identified as 51-year-old Steve Houle, of Cle Elum, around 7:00 pm. Houle was a 28-year veteran trooper with Washington State Patrol most recently assigned to the Commercial Vehicle Division. “On behalf of the Sheriff’s Office, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to Trooper Houle’s family, friends and the Washington State Patrol,” Sheriff Myers said Monday evening. “This is a tragic accident and will be felt hard in our close-knit law enforcement community.”
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
###
Contact: Chris Whitsett509-962-7525christopher.whitsett@co.kittitas.wa.us