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Provo Canyon closed due to avalanche, no people or cars buried

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A view from a UDOT traffic camera Friday morning shows conditions after an avalanche occurred in Provo Canyon on Thursday, Jan. 18.

Provo Canyon remains closed as of 10:30 a.m. Friday morning after an avalanche cascaded across all of U.S. Highway 189's lanes around 6:30 p.m. Thursday evening.

Utah Highway Patrol tweeted that no cars and people were caught or buried in the slide, though in some areas the snow is 10 to 15 feet deep. A correction issued later changed the number to closer to 30 feet.

https://twitter.com/UTHighwayPatrol/status/1086088133697916928

The Utah Department of Traffic triggered the avalanche while doing control efforts up Provo Canyon. The road was already closed at the time, according to the Utah Department of Traffic's Twitter account.

This morning, crews are using two track hoes and four loaders to clear the wall of snowfall from the road. Authorities are unsure when the canyon will reopen and are suggesting drivers use Provo Canyon Road as an alternative.

https://twitter.com/UDOTRegionthree/status/1086300226736943105

The Utah Highway Patrol reported a rock slide in American Fork Canyon that occurred around the same time as the avalanche and slid across Route 92. Officials said the incident was caused by heavy rain and unrelated to the Provo Canyon avalanche.