A veteran with the Washington State Patrol died in an avalanche on Monday, authorities said.
Steve Houle, a 28-year veteran of the police force, was riding a snowmobile with another man when the avalanche struck in France’s Cabin Creek area, the local sheriff’s office told KOMO-TV.
The other rider was able to get to safety, but Houle was found dead later in the day, the report said.
“Steve was a great person and an excellent employee, loved and respected by all of us,” WSP chief John Batiste said in a statement.
“We keep his memory and his family close to us during this painfully sad time,” said the chief.
Deadly avalanches were common in the US this season. Last week, 15 people were killed in natural disasters nationwide – the most in a seven-day period since 1910, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.