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The KUCB Newsroom provides newscasts Monday through Thursday at noon and 5 PM on KUCB Radio. You can find many of our local news stories here.

Local Snowmachiner Dies In Avalanche In Unalaska Valley

Hope McKenney/KUCB

Updated 2/25/20 at 9:20 p.m. 

An Unalaska man was killed in an avalanche Tuesday evening while he was snowmachining in the Unalaska Valley.

Trey Henning, 21, was buried in the avalanche and later recovered from the site near the quarry on Overland Drive. In a statement, the Department of Public Safety said life-saving measures were unsuccessful.

"CPR was initiated and other life-saving measures were taken both on the scene and throughout his extrication from the mountain," said the statement. "Henning was taken to the Unalaska clinic for continued care. After exhausting all efforts to revive him, he was pronounced deceased at 1858 hours." 

Public Safety officials said they were notified of the avalanche around 5:30 p.m. The Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services led the response, with help from police and several Good Samaritan snowmachiners.

Officials did not say what triggered the avalanche or how long Henning was buried.

"Our thoughts are with the Henning family and the Unalaska Community," said the fire department in a Facebook post. "Trey was a valued member of our [Department of Public Works] vehicle maintenance division and the community. He will be missed greatly."

Henning was a 2017 graduate of Unalaska's high school. A GoFundMe page has been set up online to help raise money for his family and offset travel, burial, and memorial costs.

Grief counseling and mental health resources are available through the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA). Unalaskans can call APIA's help line at 359-2743 to speak with a provider over the phone or make a face-to-face appointment.

The fire department is also reminding Unalaskans to use extreme caution in backcountry and potential avalanche areas.

This is a developing story. Please check for updates. 

Updated 2/25/20 at 7:10 p.m. -- -- --

A snowmachiner is receiving medical treatment at Unalaska's clinic after he was buried in an avalanche Tuesday evening near the quarry on Overland Drive.

At 6:52 p.m., Acting Fire Chief Mike Hanson declined to identify the man or share details of his condition. It's unclear how long the man was buried.

"Clinic staff and fire staff are currently working on him," said Hanson.

First responders arrived on scene after receiving a report of a large avalanche and one potential victim.

"Good Samaritan snowmobile riders had sleds up there within a few minutes," said Hanson. "I rode up with them and made contact. Two people up on the hill already were digging out. We continued to help digging him out. Once we got him, we started CPR and we're continuing CPR at this point."

Original Story -- -- --

Police say a large avalanche has occurred near the quarry on Overland Drive.

"Please avoid the area," said an emergency alert issued by the Unalaska Department of Public Safety on Tuesday around 5:45 p.m. "Avoid Summer Bay as well."

First responders are on the scene. Public Safety officials declined to share further details at this time. 

An earlier version of this story misstated the date of the avalanche as Thursday. The story above has been corrected.

Hope McKenney is a public radio news director, reporter, producer and host based in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska.