3 people found by rescue crews after being stranded in snowy El Dorado County

Three people were located safe after being stranded Tuesday in a remote, snowbound area along Mormon Emigrant Trail in El Dorado County as a powerful Sierra storm triggered dangerous conditions across the Sierra Nevada and Northern California.

Authorities initially said two adults had been stranded since Monday afternoon in a vehicle about 7 miles up the trail from Highway 88. Amador County Fire Protection District in updates Tuesday evening said that there were three patients total in two vehicles. Rescue teams reached all three people, who were uninjured, around 9 p.m. and began to transport them to an ambulance as a precaution, authorities said.

Amador Fire Protection District and the Amador County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue team assisted El Dorado County agencies in the rescue effort, officials said.

Emergency crews used tracked vehicles to navigate extreme winter weather and rugged terrain that limited access, Amador officials said.

The rescue unfolded as a major winter storm dumped multiple feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada and prompted avalanche warnings across the Sierra backcountry.

Snow totals near the search area underscored the storm’s intensity. Carson Pass, about 4 miles away, picked up 13 inches in 24 hours, increasing totals from 46 inches to 59 inches. Forestdale Creek, roughly 7 miles away, recorded 19 inches, pushing totals to 65 inches. Hagans Meadow gained 12 inches, rising to 32 inches, while Blue Lakes added 14 inches for a total of 50 inches. Echo Peak, about 16 miles away, reported a 15-inch increase, bringing totals to 52 inches.

Meanwhile, in Nevada County, authorities reported that eight people died and a ninth remained missing while six others survived a backcountry avalanche Tuesday morning near Castle Peak in Nevada County, about 45 miles north of the El Dorado rescue.

“Weather conditions remain highly dangerous,” Nevada County sheriff’s officials wrote.

This story was originally published February 17, 2026 at 7:47 PM.