Avalanche Strikes California Resort
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An avalanche struck a northern California ski resort Monday, but no one was reported trapped or missing, a resort spokeswoman said.
More than 200 people used poles to probe the avalanche area at Mammoth Mountain, but didn't find any victims in the snow after searching two hours, said spokeswoman Joani Lynch.
"We fielded a number of calls from concerned individuals looking for people and it turns out that the individuals who were not accounted for were helping with the search," Lynch said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Three or four minor injuries were initially reported after the 2 p.m. avalanche at the resort, located 195 miles east of San Francisco. But authorities later discounted those reports.
Mammoth Mountain has had record snowfall this season — more than 52 feet since October — and the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center had posted a warning of "considerable" danger on Monday.
The resort closed after Monday's avalanche, according to its Web site.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Earlier this month, the resort was struck by tragedy when three members of the ski patrol were asphyxiated by gas from a fissure in volcanic rock.