MISSOULA — An avalanche tore through a Missoula neighborhood on February 28, 2014, leaving destruction and heartache in its wake.
We are remembering who was lost and who came together at the base of Mount Jumbo.
An urban avalanche hit the Rattlesnake neighborhood, destroying one home, burying several people, and taking the life of one person.
Below is a story by former MTN reporter Jackie Quinn that aired on the night of the avalanche.
The West Central Montana Avalanche Center was the agency that investigated the Mount Jumbo fatal avalanche.
In their report, they found a snowboarder unintentionally triggered a slab avalanche on the west face of Mount Jumbo.
The powerful winds froze the new near-record snowfall and made Mount Jumbo's steep slopes prone to collapse with added force. From the crown of the avalanche to where it stopped at the base of Mount Jumbo, the report says the total path was 2,200 feet.
The avalanche which demolished a two-story home was rated a 3.5 out of 5 on the destruction scale. For reference, a 5 on the scale is a historical and landscape-reshaping event.
Watch as volunteers help at the scene of the 2014 Mount Jumbo avalanche.
Watch the KPAX 5:30 News from February 28, 2014, below.
Watch as the cleanup following the 2014 Mount Jumbo avalanche begins.
KPAX talked with witnesses and experts following the 2014 Mount Jumbo avalanche in the video below.
Watch KPAX coverage of the fifth anniversary of the Mount Jumbo avalanche below.
