Three carpenters fell from a roof while shoveling off snow north of Strawberry Park Elementary School Tuesday, March 14, burying two of them in feet of snow.

The school’s resource office, Stephen Harbison, an employee with the Routt County Sheriff’s Office, was the first to respond due to his proximity to the scene. 

When Harbison arrived, he found one man had managed to jump away from the avalanche of snow that fell from the roof, while the other two were being dug out by their coworkers. According to Harbison, one man was briefly unconscious. 

“All the work digging those two men out was pretty much done by the time I got there,” Harbison said. “Luckily I had an army shovel and that was able to finish off the job.” 

Harbison described one man hitting the back of a dirt wall and becoming stuck between the wall and heavy snow.

Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue arrived on the scene at 3:40 p.m. and transported two men to the UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center. They did not provide the condition of the men.

Kit Geary is the county, public safety and education reporter. To reach her, call 970-871-4229 or email her at kgeary@SteamboatPilot.com.