Washington State Trooper 15th Person in US to Be Killed by Avalanche in a Week

Steve Houle, a Washington State trooper, was trapped by an avalanche as he was riding a snowmobile.
A Washington State trooper was killed by an avalanche as he was riding a snowmobile, officials said Monday. The 28-year veteran Steve Houle was found Monday afternoon by Kittitas County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue crews who responded to the avalanche in the French Cabin Creek area near the Knox Trailhead, according to a press release.
“Steve was a great person and an excellent employee, loved and respected by us all," officials said in a statement. "We hold his memory and his family close to our hearts in this painfully sad time.”
Houle's riding partner was also caught in the avalanche but survived, KIRO7 reported.
Avalanche danger has been considerably high in recent weeks across the western United States, according to authorities. Houle was the 15th person in the country to die in an avalanche in the last week, CBS News.
There have been a total of 22 avalanche deaths since the start of the 2020-2021 season, according to online data.
RELATED STORIES
Trending on Inside Edition

Store Manager Says 911 Operator Hung Up Because She Was Whispering as Buffalo Gunman Stalked Aisles
Crime
Police Searching for Person of Interest in Mysterious Shooting Deaths of New Hampshire Couple
Crime
Anita Hill, the Optimist: Overcoming the Undoing of Roe v. Wade Is Possible 'by Pulling Together,' Hill Says
Politics
TV Reporter Becomes Center of Online Conspiracy Theory Because of a Typo
Offbeat
Georgia SWAT Officer Gets Flagged Down on Road and Saves Baby Who Stopped Breathing
Heroes