BREAKING NEWS.

A SHERIFF IN CALIFORNIA SAYS AT

LEAST ONE PERSON HAS DIED.

ANOTHER SERIOUSLY INJURED AFTER

AN AVALANCHE AT A SKI RESORT IN

LAKE TAHOE.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALPINE

MEADOWS.

IF YOU DON'T KNOW ALPINE

MEADOWS, IT'S ON THE CALIFORNIA

SIDE OF LAKE TAHOE.

IT'S NEAR SQUALL VALLEY.

IN FACT, THEY'RE SISTER RESORTS

UP IN THE TAHOE AREA.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST 24

TO 28 HOURS, THEY GOT ABOUT 26,

28 INCHES OF SNOW.

IT'S NOT A HUGE AMOUNT OF SNOW

IN THIS AREA.

THIS AREA IS KNOWN FOR GETTING

FIVE, SIX, TEN FEET AT A TIME IN

THESE STORMS.

I KNOW BECAUSE I GREW UP HERE.

THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT STORM BUT

NOT A MAJOR STORM.

WHAT THEY DO AS A RULE, THEY GO

UP IN THE MORNING, THE SKI

PATROL, THEY GO TO THE TOP AREAS

AND WILL EITHER BLAST, SET OFF

THESE SMALL EXPLOSIVES TO SHAKE

THE SNOW LOOSE TO MAKE SURE IT

DOESN'T COME DOWN.

THAT IS STANDARD OPERATING

PROCEDURE.

APPARENTLY THIS MORNING SOME

AREA WAS NOT CHECKED.

THIS HAPPENED, ACCORDING TO THE

SHERIFF, INSIDE THE SKI RESORT

ITSELF.

IT HAPPENED NEAR THE SUBWAY SKI

LINE AND WE'RE BEING TOLD BY

PRODUCERS THE SUBWAY SKI LINE

APPEARS TO BE A BLUE, MAYBE EVEN

LESS.

SO A BEGINNING-TYPE RUN.

THE EARLIER INFORMATION WAS THAT

THE SHERIFF SAID THERE WERE

PEOPLE UNACCOUNTED FOR.

NOW HE'S BACKING UP ON THAT

SAYING THIS WAS A WITNESSED

EVENT, MEANING THERE WERE PEOPLE

THERE THAT WERE SKIING THAT WERE

SNOWBOARDING WHEN THE AVALANCHE

HAPPENED.

SO THEY HAVE AN IDEA OF EXACTLY

WHO WAS IN PLACE AND WHO WASN'T.

THEY'RE SAYING THAT ONE PERSON

HAS BEEN PULLED OUT WHO WAS

INJURED IN THIS THING.

AS WE TOLD YOU, THERE'S ONE

FATALITY AND THEY DON'T BELIEVE

ANYBODY ELSE IS UNACCOUNTED FOR

AT THIS TIME.

BUT BECAUSE THERE'S NO CLARITY

ON THAT, YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT

THEY DO IS THEY BRING IN DOGS,

THEY BRING IN SEARCH TEAMS, THEY

BRING IN RESCUE TEAMS TO GO IN

AND GO DOWN AND START CHECKING

THE SNOW FOR OTHER PEOPLE.

WHEN THEY SAY UNACCOUNTED FOR,

IT'S REALLY HARD IN AN AREA LIKE

THIS, ESPECIALLY ON A FRIDAY

AFTERNOON IN SQUALL ALPINE

VALLEY, BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW

WHERE PEOPLE ARE.

THEY COULD BE ON A LIFT OR

ANYWHERE.

SO UNACCOUNTED FOR, THEY DON'T

KNOW WHERE THEY ARE AT THAT

POINT IN TIME AND THEY WANT

THEIR FRIENDS AND THE PEOPLE

THEY'RE SKIING WITH TO GET AHOLD

OF THEM.

SO THEY'LL GO THROUGH THE

STANDARD PROCEDURE OF GOING IN,

BRINGING IN DOGS AND MAKING SURE

THERE'S NO OTHER PEOPLE THAT GOT

CAUGHT IN THE AVALANCHE.

AVALANCHES ARE COMMON IN THESE

AREAS.

AVALANCHES THAT ARE DEADLY ARE

UNCOMMON BECAUSE THEY GO THROUGH

A LITANY OF STANDARD OPERATING

PROCEDURES.

THIS, BY THE WAY, IS A LIVE LOOK

AT THE SQUALL ALPINE VALLEY.

THIS IS ONE OF THEIR CAMS UP

THERE IN THE MOUNTAIN.

YOU CAN SEE THE MOUNTAIN IS

FULLY OPEN.

THERE'S 13 LIFTS AT ALPINE

MEADOWS.

THIS WAS, AGAIN, IN A LIFT THAT

WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A BEGINNER.

NO MORE THAN AN INTERMEDIATE

LIFT, WHICH MEANS IT WASN'T ON

THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE

MOUNTAIN, WHICH MAKES IT MORE

UNUSUAL THAT THERE WOULD BE AN

AVALANCHE ON THIS TYPE OF

TERRAIN.

WE'RE STILL WAITING TO FIND OUT

MORE FROM THE SHERIFF AGAINST

THE VICTIMS UP THERE.

THEY'RE ON THE MOUNTAIN.

YOU HAVE SEARCH PATROL AND SKI

PATROL TEAMS ON THE MOUNTAIN

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT

HAPPENED.

FOR THOSE THAT HAVE FAMILY AND

FRIENDS UP IN SQUAW, ALPINE

VALLEY THIS WEEKEND, THERE'S

BEEN A FATALITY UP THERE.

ONE PERSON IS INJURED AND RIGHT

NOW THE SHERIFF DOES NOT BELIEVE

THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE

UNACCOUNTED FOR.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO COVER THIS

TO BRING YOU BREAKING NEWS.

AVALANCHES ARE RARE.

AVALANCHES THAT KILL PEOPLE IN