Avalanche covers railroad tracks near Essex

An avalanche blocked the BNSF Railway tracks about 10 miles east of Essex on Sunday night, March 2.

BNSF spokesman Matt Jones said the slide was discovered by a maintenance worker around 11:30 p.m. and no trains ran into the avalanche debris, which he said was about seven feet deep.

BNSF crews and contractors were on the scene  Monday clearing snow off the tracks with excavators and mini-bulldozers. Jones said BNSF expected to have the tracks cleared by Monday afternoon.

The Flathead Avalanche Center has rated avalanche danger in the region as high, meaning that human and naturally caused avalanches are likely.

The terrain east of Essex along the railroad tracks is very steep, with numerous avalanche chutes.

Amtrak bused eastbound passengers from Spokane, Wash., and Whitefish to Shelby while westbound passengers were bused from Shelby to Whitefish to avoid the slide.