Avalanche closes highway near Lake Tahoe

An avalanche on Highway 89 engulfed the vehicle of two men early Monday morning who posted their cold predicament online while they were still trapped under snow.

The avalanche on Highway 89 between Alpine Meadows and Tahoe City caught two cars in its path, the California Highway Patrol traffic incident webpage noted at 3:30 a.m. Everyone eventually got out safe and no one was injured.

The slide covered 200 feet and was 12 feet high at its termination, according to the CHP. Officers had no estimate of when Highway 89 would re-open.

Caught in the slide was David Ortiz and Neale Allen Shutler. In a picture on Facebook, the pair gave the thumbs up and sported wide grins from within their snowbound vehicle.

Said David Ortiz on Facebook: “Huge shoutout to North Tahoe Fire Department and paramedics. They had us out of there in under an hour.”

Chain controls were in effect Monday morning on Highway 50. Avalanche control measures were also being taken to lessen the danger.

Chains were also required on Interstate 80.