A “roof avalanche” hit two teens playing outside a home in Breckenridge this week, burying them under heaps of snow and leaving one seriously injured.
Heavy snow amassed on a roof, slid off and caught the teens on Monday, according to Colorado Avalanche Information Center officials, who warned risks remain high statewide and urged caution.
“This is a tragic accident,” CAIC director Ethan Greene said.
“Roof avalanches are a problem every year in mountain communities, but right now we have a lot of snow in unusual places. We remain concerned about this hazard throughout the week,” Greene said.
Roof avalanches happen after storms build up thick snow on roofs and rapid warming following the storm causes the snow to slump downward.
Last year on March 16, a roof avalanche near Durango hit and buried two children and a father. One child died.
Roof avalanches have killed five people in Colorado over the past 30 years, CAIC records show. More have been injured.
CAIC officials gave the following safety advice:
— Pay attention to snowy roofs and don’t play with icicles hanging from roofs to avoid triggering an avalanche
— Reduce time spent below snow-loaded roofs
— Watch people as they are exposed to roof avalanches and keep a shovel nearby
Shoveling snow off roofs before snow builds up can reduce snow loads and prevent large roof avalanches, CAIC officials said.