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Associated Press

More than 120 visitors and staff who were snowbound in a Sierra Nevada resort for five days have been freed, authorities said on Friday.
Up to two metres (seven feet) of snow trapped the guests and staff at Montecito Sequoia Lodge in Sequoia National Forest starting on Sunday following a storm, US Forest Service spokesman Alicia Embrey said.

Crews had to travel by snowmobile to get to the lodge in the mountains east of Fresno on Wednesday morning, when they ensured everyone was safe. They returned on Thursday with additional supplies, she said.
Heavy equipment and crews then cleared more than 20 fallen trees and 13km (eight miles) of deep snow on the road leading to the lodge to allow guests and staff to finally leave the property on Thursday night.
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Though some got bored during the snow-in, Embrey said the lodge had enough food, fuel and general supplies to keep everyone comfortable.

“Physically they were fine,” Embrey said. “They were obviously happy to go home.”
Joel Keeler posted several videos of his experience at the lodge on Twitter starting on Tuesday, when the snow was still coming down and guests learned they still were not going to be able to leave.
The next day, he posted: “It’s cold, clear and beautiful, but we’re still snowed in!”

“They are working hard to clear the road … Still a lot of driveway left tho!” he wrote.
On Thursday, he posted that guests were finally going to go home, sharing video of the cleared road and a caravan of dozens of snow-capped vehicles snaking their way out next to towering snowbanks.
The snow that trapped the guests began falling one Friday, blanketing the area with between one and two metres (four to seven feet) by Saturday night, Embrey said, adding that roads to the lodge were closed by Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, another winter storm is on the way to the region.
Meteorologists issued a winter storm warning for the southern Sierra Nevada starting on Friday afternoon, predicting more snow, high winds and potentially hazardous conditions including falling trees and slick roads.
The Forest Service urged visitors to travel with extreme caution.
“The most recent storm has left very little room to manoeuvre and nowhere to put new snow,” Ned Kelleher, chief ranger for Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, said in a statement. “The trees are snow and ice laden and the accumulating new snow will cause failures.”


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United States

Snowbound guests freed after five days stuck in California lodge

A California Department of Transportation worker standing in a snow drift on California State Route 2, the Angeles Crest Highway, in the San Gabriel Mountains above Montrose in Southern California. Photo: AP

This Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 photo from video by Joel Keeler shows snow up to the window sills of the showed-in Montecito Sequoia Lodge in Kings Canyon National Park in California's Sierra Nevada. More than 120 visitors and staff who became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada resort for five days have been freed. The U.S. Forest Service says snow trapped the guests and staff at the lodge starting Sunday following a storm. They couldn't get out until Thursday night, Feb. 7, 2019. (Joel Keeler via AP)

This Wednesday,, Feb. 6, 2019 photo from video by Joel Keeler shows a "chains required' sign on the road leading to the showed-in Montecito Sequoia Lodge in Kings Canyon National Park in California's Sierra Nevada. More than 120 visitors and staff who became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada resort for five days have been freed. The U.S. Forest Service says snow trapped the guests and staff at the lodge starting Sunday following a storm. They couldn't get out until Thursday night, Feb. 7, 2019. (Joel Keeler via AP)

This Wednesday,, Feb. 6, 2019 photo from video by Joel Keeler shows people attempting to clear cars buried in the parking lot of the showed-in Montecito Sequoia Lodge in Kings Canyon National Park in California's Sierra Nevada. More than 120 visitors and staff who became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada resort for five days have been freed. The U.S. Forest Service says snow trapped the guests and staff at the lodge starting Sunday following a storm. They couldn't get out until Thursday night, Feb. 7, 2019. (Joel Keeler via AP)

This Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 photo from video by Joel Keeler shows people approaching the showed-in Montecito Sequoia Lodge in Kings Canyon National Park in California's Sierra Nevada. More than 120 visitors and staff who became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada resort for five days have been freed. The U.S. Forest Service says snow trapped the guests and staff at the lodge starting Sunday following a storm. They couldn't get out until Thursday night, Feb. 7, 2019. (Joel Keeler via AP)

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World

United States & Canada

Up to two metres of snow trapped guests and staff in the Montecito Sequoia Lodge in the Sierra Nevada after a storm


Up to two metres of snow trapped guests and staff in the Montecito Sequoia Lodge in the Sierra Nevada after a storm.


Weather

Snowbound guests freed after five days stuck in California lodge

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Up to two metres of snow trapped guests and staff in the Montecito Sequoia Lodge in the Sierra Nevada after a storm

Up to two metres of snow trapped guests and staff in the Montecito Sequoia Lodge in the Sierra Nevada after a storm