Selfies and blankets: Avalanche temporarily buries motorists near Lake Tahoe

California authorities rescued two men Monday after an avalanche buried their vehicle under 12 feet of snow on Highway 89 near Lake Tahoe … and they now have selfies to forever relive their adventure.

A report was received about 1 a.m. of an avalanche and possible car crash on the highway between Tahoe City and Alpine Meadows west of Lake Tahoe, according to the North Tahoe Fire Protection District. When firefighters arrived, they saw the aftermath of an avalanche that stretched some 200 yards and lay 12 feet high.

“The avalanche was a result of a natural trigger,” the district said in a statement.

Firefighters hiked up the hill of snow and began using probes to check for victims, the district said. That’s when they found the car “completely immersed in snow.”

Two men were trapped inside the buried vehicle, they said. Another car was partially buried, but no one was inside.

It took firefighters 30 minutes to rescue the two motorists. The snow was three feet deep on the roof of their vehicle, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

“They were rescued and found in good health,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

One of the two people rescued was David Ortiz.

He told KTXL-TV that he and his roommate were driving home when they suddenly felt a gust of wind and realized they were buried in snow.

“There was no light coming through any of the windows, we knew it was an avalanche,” Ortiz told the television station.

After calling 911, the friends started taking selfies.

A photograph shared with the station shows the smiling friends bundled under a blanket, the windows covered in snow.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

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